


Fake Sparks

by ericaismeg



Series: Erica Loves You [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abused Meredith, Alternate Universe - Escorts, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Cora, Awesome Laura Hale, Cheesy, Escort Service, Escort Stiles Stilinski, Fake Sparks, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, M/M, Matchmaker Laura, Meddling Laura, Mentioned Abuse, Mentioned Kate Argent, Minor Cora Hale/Heather, Minor Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Slow Build, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Social Worker Jordan Parrish, Stone Coffee, Student Meredith Walker, Teacher Derek Hale, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, post-college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 17:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2515547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/ericaismeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura convinces Derek that he should hire someone from <i>Fake Sparks</i> to pretend to be his boyfriend for the weekend of Cora's wedding. He never expects his fake boyfriend to be <i>Stiles Stilinski</i>, that kid who used to pop up all the time at the same places his final year of high school.</p>
<p>His life is about to get <i>very</i> interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fake Sparks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [worststalkerever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/worststalkerever/gifts).



> This is mostly fluff, HOWEVER, there is one particular scene where Derek/Stiles/Isaac/Jordan/Chris deal with an abused student (Meredith) and abuse is mentioned. Don't worry, there are always happy endings everywhere with my writing.
> 
> Also, omg, Derek's a teacher, Chris is a principal, and Parrish is a social worker in this fic. Hope that's cool.
> 
> The ending is so fluffy.

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“No way. No way in hell, Laura,” Derek mutters into his cell phone. He glances around, grateful that _Stone Coffee_ is dead at two o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday. There's only the barista, and two other customers. It means if he starts to yell at Laura, he won't be embarrassing himself in front of a huge crowd. He'd have to kill Laura twice if that happened. Because trust him, he's probably going to kill Laura by the time she's finished with the mess she's trying to convince him to create.

And let's face it: he's a sucker for listening to either of his sisters.

_“C'mon, Derek. Mom will be_ crushed _if you come to Cora's wedding alone. She worries about you.”_

Laura's using _that_ tone. It's the same tone that convinced Derek to take blame for their party in grade ten—the party that had almost three grand in costs for repairs—and the tone that had gotten Derek to drive Laura half-way across the country so she could meet her 'one true love' from online in person. It had ended in disaster, and Laura had pouted until Derek had told his parents that he'd been the one who had tried 'running away.' In his parents' minds, Laura had convinced him to come home. What complete and utter bullshit.

Then again, he's been covering for Laura's crazy schemes his entire life. He _could_ get upset with her, but he doesn't. Damn her and her giddy smile when she knows she's won him over.

“Laura,” he growls. Fuck, this is the last thing he needs. His older sister never knows when to stop. She's excellent at plowing through and conquering though. Derek takes a sip of his whiskey and then shakes his head lightly. “No way am I _hiring_ someone to be my significant other. That's pathetic. Mom and Dad can deal with the fact that I'm single. I'm _happy_ being single.”

Laura snorts. _“You're not happy, big brother. I can hear it in your voice. Now I've Facebooked you a great service. I've used it once or twice.”_

“Why would you need to hire a fake relationship?” Derek asks, trying not to be as curious as he is. Laura has always been a goddess among men. She'd stood tall, and never let anyone intimidate her. Derek can't imagine her ever needing a fake date—especially considering the fact that she had to wink and she could have a date with almost any guy lined up within seconds. Derek really hates watching her when she's in that kind of a mood; it feels icky.

He can practically see Laura shrug when she says, “ _Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do in order to get some creepy men off her back. It's no big deal, so don't go worrying about me, Der-bear.”_

Fuck, god fucking dammit. “I told you to come to me when someone's bothering you, Laura.”

_“I can handle my own life,”_ she remarks. He knows she can, but it doesn't mean he can't be a decent brother and help her sometimes. He doesn't bother saying so because it's an argument they've had many times.

“And what? I can't handle _my_ life?” Derek counters, feeling a little bitter. His appetite has completely vanished. He pushes his plate forward and pulls out his wallet, getting ready to throw some cash on the table.

_“Clearly not. Look, just check out the website. They have photos of their escorts. If anything, you could get some eye candy for the weekend. But this is a brilliant plan for you to get Mom and Dad off your case about when you're going to settle down.”_ He hates when his sister has a point. Laura lets out a small sigh and then she adds, _“Just do it, Derek. I have to go—Mom's calling me now. But at the very least, check out the website.”_

“Yeah, whatever,” he mutters. He can't hang up without saying, “I love you.”

_“Love you too, bro. I'm just trying to look out for you.”_

She ends the call, and Derek's left listening to the dial tone. He tugs the plate back towards him, thinking that he might be able to muster up some appetite after all. A moment later, he's caving and pulling out his laptop from his brief case. _Goddammit Laura_. He seriously hates his sister sometimes. (Of course, he doesn't mean that at all. Laura has been his role-model since he started to walk, and there isn't anyone else he loves more than his two sisters.)

He remembers Cora's engagement party seven months ago though. God, his parents had been worried about him. Talia had cornered him multiple times and expressed her concern for him. She's worried that he's not open to new relationships—which is not only seriously accurate, but it's also _fair_. Why should he be seeking a relationship after his history? _“Kate Argent and Julia Blake are no reason to close yourself off from love, Derek.”_

His mother's words echo in his mind more often than he'd like. Sometimes Derek hears them when he sees a cute woman on the street, and it ruins his mood. Derek had gone through a small hell and back with his past two relationships, so what if he isn't ready to move on to another disaster?

_Dammit_ , Derek opens Laura's _Facebook_ message.

 

**LAURA HALE:** today at 1:56PM

_here's the link of the website that I'm about to call and harass you about_  
[http://www.fakesparks.ca  
](http://www.foxerica.tumblr.com/tagged/fox%20erica%20writes) _check out their 'profile' link, Derek—it'll be good for you_

 

Regardless of how annoyed he is at Laura for bugging him about this again, he still opens the link she'd sent him to. It looks fairly professional. Derek scans down the home page—it has more information than he expected. He clicks onto the profiles.

The page requests him to choose whether he wants a female or male escort.

Derek clicks on the female escort profiles. _Wow._ Not only are these girls gorgeous, but they all look as though they could kill a man with their pinkies. Maybe it's how they're photographed, but Derek doesn't think so.

The profiles only include photos, initials, and a brief 'bio' on the escort. It's quite vague.

He scrolls back up to the first one, reading L.M.'s bio. Derek blinks. Okay, _no._ She's scary smart with all of her education credentials and while Derek has to appreciate that, he knows that no one in his family would believe that he landed her. He scrolls down.

A.A., a sassy brunette, stares at him. A.A. wears a look that could kill, and damn if she doesn't seem sexier for it. Still, she looks eerily familiar, so Derek scrolls on.

K.Y. is an adorable Asian girl. Her bio is bubbly and sweet, but Derek doesn't want to drag someone sweet into his family. They'd cling onto her and be heartbroken when they found out it was fake—because they _would_ find out it was fake.

He moves on. A woman by the initials E.R. looks like she might be his best bet for a date. He skims her bio and nods to himself. She's hot, sassy, and he bets she could handle herself with his crazy family. At least, that's the vibe he's getting from her profile.

Alright, apparently he's made the decision to do this. _Goddammit_ , he thinks. He really hates when Laura's right about things like this. He clicks on the Terms of Agreement tab.

 

_**Welcome to Fake Sparks!** _

_**Terms of Agreement** _

 

_If you are interested in any of our amazing escorts, please feel free to inquire about their availability by phone or email. We also offer an instant chat with our fabulous receptionist, Heather. She can take care of all of your embarrassing questions!_

_First things first though, here are our rules. We lay them out for you here so you can save us time if you don't agree. These are nonnegotiable, so don't bother trying to bribe us to bend the rules._

 

      1. _No escort will be touched without their explicit permission. If any of our escorts report back an issue, you will be charged with an extra fee and reported to the authorities. Fake Spark's owner's dad is a Sheriff. You don't want to mess with him._

      2. _Do not expect sex. These are not bought people. If they want to have sex with you, that is up to them. But do not expect sex. The second you do, the second they reserve the right to walk out. And you will be agreeing to a pricey fee._

      3. _All fees will be paid upfront. If you are unsatisfied with your escort, please feel free to file an official complaint. While these are all reviewed, don't expect anything to change if you hire the same escort again. They probably don't like you._

      4. _If you require more from the escort while on duty, a verbal and/or written agreement will be created. You are to honour this agreement, and if not, you will be charged anyway. You've been warned._

      5. _Please inform us of all of your needs upfront, and we will try our best to accommodate them. We do care about quality work, and we can only give that to you if we know what you want and expect. We do reserve the right to refuse any needs though, so be aware now._

      6. _Read your contract thoroughly—there is fine print, kids. Don't fuck yourself over because you're too lazy to read it. We play by the rules._




 

Derek has no idea why, but the straight-forward, here-it-is-kids tone of the website puts him at ease. He even cracks a smile while reading it. He decides to call.

Laura's right; he can't disappoint his family _again_. She always knows how to get him, and even if he'd upset her, he knows she'll be fine with a muffin from the bakery on John Street.

_“Hello, Fake Sparks. This is Erica speaking,”_ the voice on the phone greets.

“Oh, I thought the receptionist's name was Heather,” Derek blurts.

There's a warm laugh, so he doesn't feel embarrassed. _“Yeah, she quit a few weeks ago. She got a better job offer, but our lazy ass manager hasn't updated that. What's up?”_

It's interesting how the website looks so professional at first glance. He wonders if this is a bad idea—what receptionist asks _what's up_ as though it's not a big deal? But then he's saying, “Well, the thing is that I'm wondering if I could take one of your escorts out for a weekend. There's a family wedding in a month.”

Maybe this was a mistake.

It _is_ one of Laura's crazy plans.

Cora would laugh so hard, and she'd never let him live it down if she knew he wanted to bring a fake girlfriend to her wedding. She'd think it was the best joke. Derek frowns at the laptop screen. Is this the right decision?

_“Oh boy,”_ Erica says, with a laugh. _“Big family? Just want you to be happy?”_

“Yeah,” he mutters.

_“Don't worry. We know the type. Have you used us before?”_ Erica asks. She's doing some clicking on her computer.

“No,” he admits. “But my sister said she's used you guys to scare away some creepy dudes.”

_“Oh, let us know her name. We'll give her a ten percent discount for the referral.”_

“Laura Hale,” he answers.

_“Oh Laura! I love Laura. Your sister is great. You must be Derek.”_

“Yeah.” This was a terrible idea. He should hang up.

_“Alright, well, have you checked out the profiles online? Did anyone catch your interest, Derek?”_

He pauses. He's too far deep to hang up now. Besides, he knows Cora would get a huge kick out of this, and he always likes making her laugh. And really, when has Laura ever truly steered him in the wrong direction? Really and truly. Derek says, _“The blonde girl—E.R._ ”

There's a snort and then some giggling before Erica clears her throat. _“Well, hello. I am E.R. and I'm completely flattered that I caught your eye. However, since Heather's gone, I'm officially the full-time receptionist and I don't work weekends. Is there anybody else that you might be interested in?”_

“I—” Derek frowns at his laptop screen. He clicks back to the female profiles and scrolls down. There are a few others that he'd skimmed over—a M.T., C.A., and B.R.—but none of them interest him. Not that this weekend was supposed to be about someone who interests him. It's about someone faking interest so that he can fool his family for a weekend. That's all.

God, life must suck if Laura's plans are starting to make sense.

_“What about on the male side, darling?”_ Erica prompts.

He freezes. He hadn't even thought about the male side. But god, the way his family would react if he brought a man home. Derek's lips curve upward ever-so-slightly. He could have fun with that. “Hang on, I'll look.”

_“Oh, a man who swings both ways. You're almost like a unicorn in the society we live in,”_ Erica says, with a laugh. _“Just let me know what you think of our men, sugar. I personally think that their photos don't do them justice. We have some real hotties in the office.”_

Derek scrolls down, not seeing much that catches his eye, until he gets to the bottom of the page. Oh wow.

Some guy who goes by S.S. is extremely attractive. Maybe it's his lips or his eyes. Derek can't decide, but he feels something shift in his gut. There's almost something familiar about him. He wants this guy.

“S.S.”

_“Really? Are you sure?”_ Erica asks him.

“I'm sure,” Derek responds, feeling assertive. He studies the guy's profile. His bio doesn't say much.

 

_Yes, I'm legal. No, I'm not going to have sex with you. Unless you've watched Star Wars. Then I might consider it. Might._

 

He smiles. He's seen _Star Wars_. Twice.

_“Alright, sugar. Give me the dates you'll need him, what your game plan is, and what you will require of him. Weekend packages are going to run you a bit high with expenses.”_

“I don't care,” Derek says. “Money is not an issue.”

_“Oh boy, Steve is going to like the sounds of that.”_

“Steve?” Derek echoes.

_“Your new boyfriend,”_ Erica answers. _“Alright, so what weekend do you need him for?”_

Derek opens his calendar on his email and skips forward. “Friday the 24th  to Monday the 27 th .”

Erica whistles lightly into his ear. _“Four days, three nights? Steve isn't cheap.”_

“I already told you. I don't care about the price. My family means well, but honestly, they're a pain in my ass. It's my sister's big day, and I don't want the family to be worried about me and my damn happiness, okay? I would like them to be happy for Cora.” Derek sighs and rubs his temples. “What are the packages? I didn't get look.”

_“Well, we'll give you a small discount. Now, you want him to pretend to be your boyfriend, correct?”_ She doesn't wait for him to respond. _“Listen, Derek, I'm going to be honest with you. You can have Steve for four days, three nights—he'll play along with whatever story you come up with. Just email me the details of your back story at least three days before. He'll hold your hand, kiss your cheek, be slightly affectionate with you. He will not kiss you—it's a rule of his—unless it's absolutely necessary. If it is, he'll charge you extra. Think of it as a Pretty Woman deal, alright? Except without the falling in love shit.”_

“Considering my family, I think you might want to charge me four grand.”

_“Hey, whatever you want to add to your bill is perfectly okay with us. Now, I'm going to tell you right now that Steve is going to win the heart of your family over. He'll also be slightly dickish and—”_

_“Erica!”_ a masculine voice comes in the background of the phone. _“You're supposed to be_ selling _me, not making me sound like an unprofessional. Jesus christ, give me the phone.”_

_“No,”_ Erica says. _“I'm just warning him about—”_

_“Shut up, give me the phone.”_ There's some shuffling noises and then the male voice comes closer to the phone. _“Hello, this is Steve.”_

“Derek,” he answers. “I'm hiring you for a weekend.”

_“Oh baby, I like the sounds of that. That means you've got cash. I like to be spoiled,”_ Steve tells him, but there's humour in his tone. Derek's amused at his casual tone. _“Alright, what's the deal?”_

Derek shifts, and settles into his seat. He munches on fries while he talks. “It's my little sister's wedding. My family's biggest concern is whether or not I'm dating someone, and I don't want to take away from her big moment.”

_“Such a decent brother. Won't showing up with someone distract your family though?”_

“You'd think, but they actually know how to respect the boundaries when you're tied up with someone,” Derek tells him. He rolls his eyes. God, if only they hadn't respected those boundaries. Maybe he wouldn't have had to deal with Kate or Jennifer. No, _Julia_ , Derek corrects himself. Fuck, he'll never get over that particular betrayal. They should have gotten all up in his business then, because maybe they would've discovered everything that was wrong with those girlfriends. Derek's a sucker for his family and their approval. He probably would've dumped Kate or Jen—Julia, if they'd given him reason to believe he was being duped.

There's some more shuffling noise, a protest from Erica in the background, and then a door shuts. _“Well, at least that's something. Erica wrote down the dates for me. Lucky for you, I am available. I heard her lay out my basic rules—no kissing unless necessary, and I'm sure it'll be necessary over a weekend with your family. But I don't do tongue. I'll do everything else though—hold your hand and shit. Show affection that way, so no one will doubt that we're madly in love. You're not expecting anything more than that, right? We'll share a bed, I'm sure, but there won't be any hanky panky.”_

Derek smiles despite himself. This guy sounded slightly professional, and also, perfect. There would be a relationship without the usual hassles of a relationship. “That's correct.”

_“Alright,”_ Steve says. _“I'll look forward to your background email—and your payment.”_

“Sounds good.”

_“Out of curiousity, where is the wedding?”_

“Beacon Hills,” Derek answers. There's a small noise of surprise, and then silence. “Um, Steve?”

_“There may be a few rumours about us if we do this.”_ Steve pauses before adding, _“I'm from Beacon Hills.”_

Derek's eyebrows come together. “I'll throw in another five hundred.”

Steve starts laughing now. _“Dude, I don't care what people think about me. How about you, though?”_

He glances around the coffee shop while he thinks his answer over. The two other customers had left at some point. He should probably leave soon too. Derek simply says, “No, I don't care.”

“ _I get the feeling that this is going to be mighty interesting,”_ Steve says, with a laugh.

“I think you're right,” he murmurs.

_“Looking forward to meeting you, Derek.”_

“Same,” Derek says, quietly. There's some noise and then he can sense that Steve is no longer there.

_“Hello Derek. It's Erica again. I just want to get your contact and billing information,”_ Erica's voice comes suddenly.

He answers all of her questions and when she's done, she thanks him. “Thanks,” he echoes.

The next thing he knows, he's listening to a dial tone. Derek shrugs and drops his phone onto the table. What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

Laura's so dead for convincing him that this was a good idea.

Except that he's already too curious about this Steve guy to worry too much about how he's going to kill Laura. Instead, he has the sneaking suspicion that he's going to end up thanking her. Dammit all to hell, Laura sucks when she's right about things. She'll gloat for at least three months, if not the rest of his life.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“I have a date for your wedding,” Derek tells Cora at dinner a few nights later. “Is it okay that I'm going to bring a plus one?”

Cora snorts and stabs her fries with her fork. She's watching the cute couple beside her—probably because the woman was wearing an engagement ring. Derek knows she's starting to get nervous. She answers him, clear that her mind is elsewhere, “Of course it's okay. It's great! Who's the lucky girl?”

Derek had made the decision to warn Cora in advance. He isn't going to tell her that it's a fake relationship—he doesn't want to add to the stress of her day. But, he takes a deep breath, and corrects her. “Lucky guy.”

Cora swivels her head to look at him. She drops her fork, lets out a nervous laugh, and then stares at her big brother for a few seconds. “Guy. Wow. I mean, I know you're bisexual. Obviously. But that's a big move—introducing a guy to the family. You haven't even told Mom or Dad that you're into dudes too.”

He shrugs. “I guess it's about time. I've been—”

“Not that they'll care,” Cora rushes to say. “They'll be happy for you, like they are for me.”

“I know,” he says, nodding. He's not worried about that.

“Wait, how long have you been dating this guy?” Cora demands.

“Um, six months now?” Derek says, shrugging. He'd written down a time line and details about his fake relationship with Laura two days ago. She hadn't been gloating, like he'd expected. Instead, she'd taken it very seriously and demanded questions about Derek's fake relationship that he should know off the top of his head. “Look, Cora, I don't want it to be a big deal—”

“ _Six months_?” Cora asks, horrified. “You've been dating someone for _six months_ and you didn't tell me? Does Laura know?” He winces, and Cora tosses her hands into the air. “Of fucking course Laura knows.”

“Listen, it's not that—”

“No, I get it. You didn't want me to know.” Cora huffs and looks down at her food. She shakes her head and starts to stand up. “Listen, Derek, I'm no longer hungry. I'm going to—”

“Cora,” he says, quietly. “Please don't leave. I want to explain.”

She sits down and waits, unimpressed with him.

He hates lying to Cora, but Laura pointed out that it'd be better if she wasn't stressed out worrying that their family was going to find out it was all fake and explode into drama. Because, according to Laura, if they did this right, there wouldn't be any drama until Cora was back from her honeymoon.

“I didn't tell anyone because we know what happens when I date people.”

Cora sighs, her anger slipping off her face. She puts her hand on Derek's. “That's not always going to happen to you, Derek.”

“Yes, but,” he says, “you can understand why I'd want to keep a new relationship to myself.”

Cora nods. “Okay, I get it. But why bring him to meet the family on my wedding weekend? That's a little overwhelming for anyone who isn't a Hale.”

“Well,” Derek starts. Goddammit, he hadn't really thought about how strange that would be for the family. Neither had Laura, apparently. “I was hoping we could get together for dinner sometime next week. That way you can get to know him a bit?”

Cora seems to be delighted at this idea. “I would _love_ to meet him next week! That sounds lovely. We'll invite Laura, and perhaps we could convince Malia to join us?”

Derek nods. He has to say, he loves how hard Cora's been trying to include their newly-discovered cousin, Malia, into family things. She'd even made room for Malia in her bridesmaids line. Cora has the biggest heart of anyone he knows, and fuck, he wants her to have the perfect wedding.

She's usually the one telling their parents to back-off Derek and his lack of love life. There had been a huge blowout at the end of her engagement party—Derek had left before it happened, but they'd talked about it afterward. Cora had told them that love would find Derek when he least expected it, and that they shouldn't be pushing him to find someone. Of course, they all know that their parents mean well and only want him to be happy. They went about it a little intensely, that's all.

“That sounds wonderful. I'll have to check with St—him to see when he's available,” Derek says, trying so hard to make Steve' name roll off naturally. It had stuck in his throat though.

“What could he have that's more important than meeting his boyfriend's little sister?” Cora teases.

“You'll have to ask him if he's busy,” Derek says.

She smiles. “Tell me about him, Derek. Does he make you happy?”

“Immensely,” Derek murmurs, because that's the answer his little sister wants to hear. That's the answer his family will expect. “He's funny. You'll definitely like him.”

“Really?” she asks, grinning.

“Yeah.” Fuck, he hopes so. Steve better be damn good at his job.

“Why don't you call him right now? See when he's available?” Cora asks. “That way I can make sure Malia doesn't make plans before I ask.”

“I—he's probably working,” Derek answers. What does an escort do during the day? Maybe he's out pretending to be someone else's boyfriend. Derek has no idea.

“Please?” Cora asks.

He really needs to learn how to say no to his sisters. He stands up and excuses himself from the table. Derek goes through his recent calls until he sees _Fake Sparks._

_“Good afternoon, you've reached Fake Sparks. Erica speaking.”_

“Erica, it's Derek. Laura's brother. Who—”

_“Hired Steve for the wedding weekend in three weeks. I remember,”_ Erica interrupts him. _“What can I do for you today?”_

“Um, is he available for a dinner next week? My little sister wants to meet him before the wedding,” Derek asks. He closes his eyes and hopes.

_“Would Thursday work for you? Steve has just had a cancellation on that night.”_ There's some more clicking on her keyboard and then she gives him a humming noise before she adds, _“I'll need that background story for him by six o'clock tonight, and it'll be about four hundred bucks for the evening.”_

Derek sighs with relief. “That's great. I can have the background story by six. Um, what is his usual cover for a job? Like, what could he pull off?”

_“Usually it's that he owns his own graphic design company and he helps market for companies all around the States and Canada. No one really questions it, and if he needs any materials, we have an awesome graphic designer with Fake Sparks who designs fake stuff for him. Like if you need fake business cards for Steve, just let me know.”_

“That won't be necessary. I just—thank you, Erica. Can you have Steve text me so we can arrange the time and meeting for the dinner?” Derek asks.

_“Sure thing, sugar. Do you want him to dress up?”_

“No, it'll probably be at Cora's. She loves dinner parties.” Derek glances back at his sister. He gives her a thumbs-up. “Thanks again, Erica.”

_“Anytime. And a word of advice? If you're okay to spend this much money on a fake date to fool your family, Steve is probably going to be curious about why. Be prepared for that, and don't bother lying.”_

“Uh, okay. Thanks again,” he repeats. Then he murmurs a goodbye and she laughs as she hangs up. He walks back to Cora and sits down. “Steve is free Thursday night.”

“Oh goodie!” Cora says, grinning. “So. What does he look like?”

“He's gorgeous,” Derek murmurs, happy that he doesn't have to lie about that at least.

She rolls her eyes. “That's so vague. Give me details.”

“No way,” he says, laughing. “Anything I say, you'll use against me to embarrass me in front of him. We're still settling into this relationship, and I don't want to scare him off.”

“Oh my god,” Cora exclaims. “You're really into this guy, aren't you?”

Derek thinks of the fake guy, fake relationship, he'd spent discussing with Laura. He nods. “Yeah, I think I am.”

Fantasy land isn't so bad.

What if reality is?

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

Derek's in the middle of grading one of his students' test when his phone buzzes. He reaches over for it without much thought, and then is confused when he doesn't recognize the number on the screen.

 

**UNKNOWN:** _hey derek, it's Steve  
_ **UNKNOWN:** _apparently we're meeting this thursday?  
_ **UNKNOWN:** _I got your background story and I have some issues/questions  
_ **UNKNOWN:** _so yeah_

 

Derek waits a few minutes to see if another message comes in, but when nothing does, he starts to type.

 

**DEREK:** _would you like to call me and discuss it?_

 

The response he gets is immediate.

 

**STEVE:** _i'm restless tonight, coffee instead?  
_ **STEVE:** _totally off the clock_

 

He glances at his stack of tests he has to grade. There's an internal debate before his desire to meet his fake boyfriend wins out.

 

**DEREK:** _do you know that coffee shop on King and Gladstone?_  

**STEVE:** _know it? I love that place! I can be there in thirty?_

**DEREK:** _see you then_

 

He's not sure what to wear to a coffee date—meeting, a coffee meeting—with one's soon-to-be fake boyfriend, so he growls at his closet for a few minutes before he caves. He calls Laura, and she comes up from her apartment on the fourth floor.

“I'm so happy you called me, Der-bear.”

“Derek,” he murmurs, but it's said without any heat or conviction.

“But oh my god, you need a new wardrobe. Okay.” She puts her hands on her hips, and studies his closet. “We don't have much to work with. Do you hate clothing or something?”

“Laura,” he says, a warning in his tone.

“Well, let me see. Where is that sweater I bought you for Christmas? The red one with thumb-holes?” Laura asks, pushing through his closet. When she finds it, she tosses it at him. “Put that on. You can keep your black shirt on if you want. It won't see the daylight anyway.”

“I—okay,” Derek says, shrugging. He pulls his sweater on over his t-shirt. Derek slips his thumbs into the thumb-holes and admits that this is probably his favourite sweater.

“As for pants, put these ones on.” Laura tosses him a pair. “God, I can't believe that you called me for this. It's _amazing_. Did he say what he wants?”

“Yeah, he wants to discuss our relationship background story. Apparently he doesn't like it. Or he has issues with it, anyway,” Derek says, waving at his sister to turn around. She does and he pulls his pants off. “I guess he takes his job seriously.”

“I guess so. I've never had one of my escorts request to discuss background stories before though,” Laura says, amused.

“But have you used one for an entire weekend before?” Derek asks.

“No. That's very true. I usually only need them for a night here and there,” Laura answers. She turns around when Derek grunts. She smiles. “That's the cutest outfit to meet your future boyfriend in. Steve is going to drool.”

“You've never...you've never asked for him, have you?” Derek asks as he fixes one of his pant pockets.

“Steve? No way. He mentions _Star Wars_ in his bio. I usually request for Aiden—he's one of the twins. Sometimes I get Jackson, but all he ever talks about is Lydia Martin—one of the girl escorts—and it gets really annoying.”

“I feel as though talking about another girl while pretending to be your boyfriend is not how that works,” Derek comments.

She rolls her eyes. “He only does it when we were alone. Now, do you know if Steve is into boys?”

“I—that never occurred to me.”

Laura smooths out the shoulders of his sweater. “No worries. If he wasn't before, he will be after you.”

“That's not how that works,” Derek reminds her.

She sighs. “I know, Derek. I'm trying to offer sisterly support. Now get going or else you'll be late.”

“Thanks,” he murmurs, and kisses her cheek. “Don't eat all of my food though.”

“I'll leave you the eggs,” she calls out as he heads towards the door. He pauses in the living room to grab his cell phone, keys, and wallet.

“Gee, thanks!” he responds, only to hear Laura laugh.

It's not until Derek steps into _Stone Coffee_ that he realizes he needs to get Laura a huge Christmas gift this year. His fake boyfriend—gay or not—is fucking gorgeous. Derek subtly watches him while he steps in line to get his coffee.

Steve is fidgeting with his hands, and he looks nervous. Strange, considering he's a escort. Derek had expected they'd be full of confidence and emotionless. However, Derek can easily read the way Steve worries by the expression on his face. What does he have to be worried about?

Derek thanks the barista when he receives his coffee, and then heads over to Steve.

“Hi,” he greets, sliding into the seat across from him.

Steve blinks. “No fucking way.”

Derek tilts his head. “Excuse me?”

“I—wait, let me start over. Hi, I'm Stiles Stilinski.”

“ _Stiles?_ _Stilinski?_ You're the Sheriff's kid,” Derek says, recognizing the name immediately. He cocks his head. “I didn't...you look different in your photo. You look different all together, actually.”

“Derek Hale,” Stiles says, with a nervous laugh. “It's been a long time.”

He nods, because he's not sure what he's supposed to say. He remembers Stiles. He was a few years younger than him. In Derek's last year of high school, he'd run into Stiles _everywhere_. At first it had been strange, but then they'd developed a little routine. They sometimes had sat together in the library studying, occasionally they'd run into each other at a busy cafe and share a table, and there had been the odd time where they'd both gone to a movie alone. It had never been planned, or discussed really. They rarely spoke, and when they did, it was because one of them had obviously been having a shitty day. They had been short, but comforting, conversations.

Stiles had witnessed the Kate Argent fiasco—older woman, seducing seventeen-year-old, and then she'd tried to burn his family alive. His father had been the one to talk to Derek and his family about it. Sometimes, Derek would have nightmares that Kate had succeeded in killing his entire family. He'd end up in the Sheriff's office, talking about how horrific it was at two in the morning. The Sheriff had never kicked him out, but had reassured him that Kate had a mental illness: it wasn't Derek's fault.

Derek had often wondered if his dad had told Stiles about those visits, because Stiles had started to run in the woods beside Derek's house. He'd hover on the closest path, and sometimes Derek would join him.

They hadn't talked much, and it'd been exactly what Derek had needed at the time. Then he'd gone off to school—and had decided last minute to become a teacher. It had meant a few more years of school. He'd found a nice place in Sacramento, and the kids are great. He rarely visited Beacon Hills, especially after Laura and Cora followed him to the city. When he did, he always visited the Sheriff and brought him his favourite cookies.

The Sheriff talked about Stiles—but he had left out how fucking gorgeous his son had turned out to be. Derek hadn't recognized him. How had that been possible?

“You got a haircut,” Derek finally blurts.

Stiles starts to laugh, and he leans back into his chair. “Yeah, yeah, I got a haircut. I also put on a little weight and some muscle. I thought maybe you had picked me because—”

“I'm an idiot,” Derek says. “Laura didn't even recognize you.”

“Did you pick out an escort with your sister?” Stiles asks, grinning.

“No! No, but she—she didn't tell me, anyway.” Derek leans forward, propping his elbows on the table. “Did you know?”

“Kind of,” Stiles says. “When Erica told me that you wanted me to text you, well, I thought that maybe we should meet first in case my hunches were right. Allison told me I was crazy, because why on earth would _you_ need a fake boyfriend? But, here we are.”

“Do you think I'm super lame?” Derek asks.

“No. Without losers like you, I wouldn't make as much money as I do.” Stiles winks. He leans forward too. “Seriously though, I remember your family. They're pretty intense.”

“You're not kidding.” Derek relaxes now. “Oddly enough, this is going to be easier now. They loved you.”

“Did they?” Stiles asks, eyebrows jumping up. “How? They didn't know me.”

Derek shrugs. “They knew you as the kid who hung around me. It didn't matter that it was never planned. They liked you because you were kinda...”

“A friend?” Stiles suggests.

“Yeah, a friend. Especially around the...whole ordeal,” Derek finishes lamely. Stiles simply looks at him as though he understands exactly what Derek means. God, Stiles is the entire reason that Derek had questioned his sexuality. He'd spent nights talking about it with Laura and Cora. They had let him talk about his uncertainty and ask his rhetorical questions, because they'd believed it was better than him sulking about Kate and her betrayal. They'd been right, of course.

“That was so shitty,” Stiles murmurs. “How have you been since high school?”

“Good. I'm a teacher now.”

“Really? What do you teach?”

Derek smiles. “I teach History—grades eleven and twelve. It's a little...lame, I guess, but I really—”

“That's cool. I remember you always seemed content when you were studying history,” Stiles says, with a wave of his hand. “And I mean, you know where I ended up. Owning _Fake Sparks_ has been interesting. It wasn't necessarily my dream job, especially considering that everyone expected me to end up following my father's footsteps.”

Derek tilts his head and waits for him to continue.

“It started off as this extra way to make cash during college. I got Danny to set-up this basic website, but then he kind of got obsessed with it. He designed it so well that it started to pick up traction. And then I couldn't just be selling myself as an escort, so I offered paying positions for a couple of my friends. Do you remember Scott McCall?”

“Your best friend, of course.” Derek frowns. “I didn't see him on the list. I might have recognized him.”

“No, he's actually in a happy relationship with one of our girls, Allison. He moved on to be a vet. But mostly, everyone else has stayed as a part-time gig.”

“So you're the owner? I'm surprised that you are still escorting then,” Derek says. “From what Laura's told me, you guys are doing really well.”

“It's fun,” Stiles says, with a shrug. “I mean, I took my profile off for a while, but honestly, it can be fun.”

“So,” Derek says, pausing to sip some of his coffee, “What does your father think of all this?”

Stiles snorts. “He hates it. But he knows it makes me happy, and I'm successful at it, so he can't really complain much. Besides, it's my life. What do you think of it?”

It occurs to Derek that Stiles is honestly curious as to what Derek thinks, as though his opinion matters. “If you're happy, and successful, it doesn't really matter what I think.”

“But?” Stiles prompts.

“But I think it's great. I'm not sure how your girlfriend would feel about it, but if she's okay with it, then it doesn't matter.” Derek lifts his mug to his lips again.

Stiles shakes his head, laughing. “If that was your lame attempt to see if I was dating someone and straight, it was really lame.”

Derek can't help it. He sets his mug down so he can hold his hands up. “Alright, you caught me red-handed.”

“That's the lamest trick in the book. But, if you must know—”

“Don't tell me anything you don't want to,” Derek rushes to say.

“—I am single, and I'm bisexual.”

“Me too,” Derek says.

Stiles tilts his head. “Single or bisexual?”

“Both, actually.”

“My lucky day then,” Stiles murmurs. He lifts his mug. Derek tries not to laugh and he taps his own mug against Stiles'. “To interesting developments.”

“Sure,” Derek says, admiring the way Stiles smiles. He can't help but let his eyes dance around to Stiles' different moles, which somehow make the kid look even better. Then it occurs to him. “Your _Fake Sparks_ photo—you didn't have moles. They were airbrushed off.”

Stiles blinks and then rubs a hand up to his neck, covering some of them. “Yeah, they were.”

“Why?”

“Because I have too many,” Stiles admits, with a shrug.

Derek doesn't know how to tell Stiles that he likes his moles, so he doesn't say anything. He looks down at his coffee and wonders how the hell this plan is going to work. His parents are going to take one look at Stiles and they're going to know.

“Why Steve?” Derek asks, breaking the silence.

“Because no one seems to want to go on a fake date with me when they learn my name is _Stiles_. Besides, privacy issues and whatnot.” Stiles shrugs. “Erica, the receptionist that you spoke to, used to go by Ellen. I always teased her about that, because if you met her, you'd know she's no Ellen. We choose something close enough to our name that it's easy to react to or to roll off the tongue when we're introducing ourselves. Rarely do clients ever realize it's not actually our name.”

“Smart,” is the only thing Derek can think to say. Then he murmurs, “So Jackson—”

“You know Jackson?” Stiles asks.

“Well, Laura mentioned him.”

“Oh, yeah, she's close to most of the people in the office. Jackson's fake name is Johnny. He hates it, but I'm the owner so I assigned it to him to piss him off.” Stiles adds, “Sorry, what about Jackson?”

“Wait, so my sister's used you guys enough to know your actual names?” Derek asks, tilting his head.

“Just the ones she hires on a regular basis, and a couple of the girls. I've never run into her though. I hear about her visiting the office sometimes though,” Stiles says, shrugging. “Why?”

“I...I didn't realize, that's all. She said Jackson talks a lot about a girl named Lydia,” Derek tells him.

Stiles gives him a knowing look. “Oh yeah, Jackson's madly in love with Lydia still. They dated all throughout high school, and then Lydia dumped his ass when we went to university. He only signed up as an escort because he wants to be able to see Lydia on a regular basis. It's kind of pathetic, actually.”

Derek nods, but he's not sure what Stiles means by that.

“Hey, so, do you still want me to be your fake boyfriend?” Stiles asks, sounding unsure. “I can assign someone else. Jackson would be a great boyfriend—he's strangely really good at this job. Or there's always one of the twins. They're excellent and committed to their job. I could even suggest Erica's boyfriend. Boyd's solid. Everyone likes him.”

“No,” Derek says, shaking his head. “No, I'd rather you. I was pretty uncomfortable and a little uncertain about this whole thing, but I think I could pull it off with you.”

“Like my booty?” Stiles teases.

Derek meets his eyes. “I think I just like you.”

“Whoa dude,” Stiles says, lifting a hand. “I want to be very clear. There are going to be no actual emotions between us. I don't have sex with clients—bad press as the owner—and I look at every role play as a business transaction.”

“No, I know. I just mean that it'd be believable if I were to date you, because I like you as a person. I don't like people very often,” Derek explains, feeling a little dumb. He's not sure why. “My family would believe it, because I feel comfortable with you.”

“Oh.” Stiles blushes a little. “Sorry about that then.”

“No worries. Still want to be my fake boyfriend?”

“Yeah, I do.” Stiles pulls out a couple of pages from somewhere. Derek peeks to see that he has a briefcase with him. He smooths the pages out on the table and then says, “I printed your email. We're going to have to make major adjustments.”

“Okay,” Derek says, nodding. “I told my little sister, Cora, that we've been together for six months. I'm not good at relationships, so it's still fresh to us. And that you work as a graphic designer at your own company.”

Stiles nods, expression hard to read now. “That's good. What else?”

“That was about it. We mostly spoke about how you make me feel. I never used your name—thank god—and yeah.”

Stiles' face seems to perk up at this. “How do you feel about me? Well, your new boyfriend, anyway.”

“He makes me laugh,” Derek says, shrugging. “He gets me and my need for space. He...this is weird.”

“No, it's not. This is good. Keep going.”

“I'm basically describing a fantasy to you. It's weird,” Derek says.

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Dude, I can't be professional and on my A-game if you don't tell me what you said to your sister about how I've made you feel. I need to this to know how I should behave around you.”

He sighs. No one said this would be easy, and Laura had warned him that this would get complicated. He would be upset with her, except that Stiles is looking at him with those damn eyes and Derek's caving. He really needs to learn to say no to pretty people. Really. “Alright, I told Cora that you make me laugh. And that you sometimes bring me breakfast in bed, but you're a terrible cook. I told her that sometimes I meet your eyes across the room and nothing else exists. That you're good in bed, and that I can't imagine ever dating anyone else.”

“Whoa, this is some serious relationship you've set up.” Stiles leans back in his chair now. “How is your family going to feel when we break up after the wedding? Especially if it's this serious?”

“It was Laura's idea, because it should mean that they'll leave me alone for a bit so I can get over you,” Derek tells him. “It'll be nice to have them off my back about settling down.”

Stiles nods. “Alright. Are you okay with lying to your family?”

“No,” Derek mumbles. “Laura convinced me though. It'll suck, but I'll come clean eventually. They'll be hurt, but then they'll be okay. It's not going to destroy us or anything. We're very close.”

“But not close enough that you can tell them you want them to lay off,” Stiles observes.

“They don't listen,” Derek answers.

Stiles sighs now, and then he waves a hand in the air. “What else did you tell Cora?”

“That you're gorgeous,” Derek breathes, looking at Stiles' face in detail again. Fuck, he could get lost looking at Stiles. “I hadn't even seen you in person and I knew that was true.”

Stiles laughs. “Flattery—smart move. It won't get you a discount though.”

“I don't need one,” Derek answers simply. “Look, I might have embellished and told my sister that this relationship is getting serious. When you meet her, please give her the idea that you're not as committed to me. That can be why we breakup.”

“The wedding freaks me out,” Stiles murmurs. “That seems reasonable. Okay. So, this list here? It's terrible. It tells me nothing about you or us. Especially considering our actual history, I think we need to rewrite this.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Derek glances down at the paper.

“So we talk about how I had a massive crush on you when we were younger, and how I followed you around places, and—” Stiles stops talking when he sees the surprise on Derek's face. “What?”

“You didn't do that, did you?” Derek asks.

“Uh, no. I'm just saying it's an easy-to-believe cover story. It doesn't invite a lot of questions, especially if your family remembers me.” Stiles waits for Derek's approval. When he gets it silently, he continues. “We didn't see each other for years. I went to school in New York for graphic design. You went to school in Sacramento for History.”

“How did you know that?” Derek asks.

“Well, you're teaching history, and I remember you looking at Sacramento brochures in Miss Morrell's guidance office.” Stiles shrugs it off as though it's not a big deal. “We ran into each other...where?”

“Here. We met here. Everyone knows how much I love this coffee shop. It won't seem out of the norm,” Derek says.

“Deal. You didn't recognize me, because the last time you'd seen me, I was some ugly kid.” Stiles looks away when he speaks. “But I recognized you.”

“No,” Derek says, shaking his head. “I didn't recognize you because I'm an idiot, period. You were never some ugly kid.”

“Flattery again,” Stiles says, flippantly. “I recognized you, and couldn't resist saying hi.”

“We started talking, and we sat down together,” Derek continues, feeling his heart start to pick up pace.

“And then I almost knocked over your coffee,” Stiles says, with a laugh.

“We both went to catch it, and our hands touched.”

“Then we were looking at each other, our bodies humming with anticipation,” Stiles continues their fantasy. “And I was a goner for you and your smile.”

“I don't smile often,” Derek murmurs.

“You do with me,” Stiles says, and it sounds like it has a ring of truth to it. Derek agrees. “And I asked you out.”

“No, I asked you out,” Derek says.

“Mm, no, I'm pretty sure I asked you out.”

Derek shakes his head. “Does it matter who asked who?”

“Probably not,” Stiles answers. “But I most definitely asked you out. And you said yes.”

“Reverse our roles, and done,” Derek says. His eyes are drawn to the way Stiles' hand rests on the table, a few inches away from his own. He wants to reach out, but he knows that this isn't real. So he doesn't give into the urge. “Our first date was great.”

“No, it was a disaster,” Stiles says, shaking his head. “The best love stories come from when everything goes wrong, but it's perfect anyway.”

“Alright,” Derek says, not wanting to argue anymore. “So, how did our first date go?”

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“And then this asshat told me that I was the biggest douche he's ever met,” Stiles is telling Cora, Malia, and Laura at dinner on Thursday. He looks at Derek with a soft, fond smile. “He just kept yelling insults at me outside the restaurant. I'd never been so angry in my life.”

“What happened next?” Malia asks, as she picks up her glass of water.

“We started making out,” Derek says, knowing it's his line. Stiles gives him a look of approval.

Cora laughs. “That sounds romantic. Angry make-out session at the back of _Joe's Pizza_. That's all anyone wants in life.”

Stiles rubs his thumb over Derek's hand. He smiles. “That's all I want anyway.”

“I don't want to hear about my little brother's sex life,” Laura interjects. She scrunches her nose and then adds, “So let's leave your first date story there.”

“Actually,” Stiles says, smiling at Derek still. “Your brother here is a gentleman. He walked me back to my apartment, kissed me goodnight, and went home.”

“Lame,” Malia says. “I had more faith in your moves, Derek.”

“It's when I knew that I wanted to see him again,” Stiles says, shrugging. “So I called him when he got home and demanded another date.”

“That's pretty cute,” Cora murmurs. “My meet-cute story isn't as cute as that.”

“It is too,” Derek says, worrying about upstaging his sister.

She laughs. “No way. Heather came into my class and she looked so gorgeous. I couldn't resist. I hit on her for six weeks, and she never looked twice at me. Then her girlfriend, Caitlin, broke up with her and she was crying in the bathroom. I hadn't even known she'd been dating someone.”

“But that's not really your story, is it?” Stiles asks.

“No,” Cora says, smiling now. “It was just the moment that I knew I liked her a lot more than I had admitted to myself before. It took me six months to convince her to go on a date with me, and then she did. It was an incredible date. I can't remember ever laughing so much. She asked me to come upstairs to her place for coffee. And trust me, she's no gentleman. We had _a lot_ of fun that night.”

“Ew,” Derek mutters.

“I didn't know you put out on the first date!” Laura says, grinning. “I'm proud of you.”

Derek shoots her a dirty look, and Stiles laughs. Malia asks, “But wasn't it the morning after that sealed the deal for you, Cor? I remember we got drinks that night and that's all you talked about.”

“Yeah, because the morning afterward, I woke up to her smiling face. I knew then that I love her,” Cora says, grinning now. “And we're getting married in three weeks! Well, two and a half now.”

“Congratulations,” Stiles says again. Cora beams at him. “I can't wait to meet her.”

“She's out of town this week, but we'll have to get together when she gets back.” Cora glances at Derek. “You usually have Wednesday nights free from marking and stuff, right?”

“Actually—”

“Wednesday sounds great,” Stiles says. Derek turns to look at him. He's not sure what to say, so he closes his mouth. Stiles turns to Malia. “Any person lucky enough to have your heart?”

Malia laughs. “This one's a joker, huh? Yes, actually. I've been seeing a girl named Kira. She's really adorable, and she'd eat you up.”

Stiles seems to freeze for a split second before he smiles, “I'm sure I'd like her too.”

He nudges Derek with his knee. Derek doesn't have to ask what that means. “I would like to show Stiles the garden out back before we head out tonight.”

“By all means!” Laura says, clearly picking up on some secret code. She waves them out. “You two have fun. And enjoy that damn garden. I worked hard on it!”

Derek smiles gratefully, before they stand up. He tucks his hand on Stiles' lower back and leads him to the backyard. When the door slides shut behind them, Derek murmurs, “What's going on?”

“Malia is dating Kira. Kira is the name of one of my escorts,” Stiles answers, quietly. “They could be different Kiras, except that mine has been exponentially happier lately. She even discussed to me if she could take over our social media from Danny—because he's been lacking lately—and getting out of the escorting business.”

“Oh, and if she tells Malia,” Derek says, connecting things.

“We're screwed. Give me a quick second.”

“Can you just text her?” Derek asks, sliding his hands around Stiles' waist. He glances over his shoulder. “We're being watched.”

“Shit, okay, hang on.” Stiles pulls his phone out and motions for them to keep walking. Derek has to admit, Laura's garden is impressive. She's been working in gardening and landscaping for ten years now, and damn, she does a great job. Derek leads him down another path, one that they'll be hidden from sight because of the large bushes. He stops Stiles.

“Actually, make your call now. I don't think they can see us.”

“Okay,” Stiles murmurs. He dials a number and puts the phone to his ear. Derek doesn't realize he still has his hands on Stiles until he hears Stiles let out a tense breath. He steps away. “Kira! Great, quick question, are you dating Malia Tate?”

Derek doesn't hear the answer, but he can see it on Stiles' face. “Okay, great, I'm happy for you. Listen, I will give you whatever position you want in the company—minus owner, of course—if you don't tell Malia about your job. If you don't mention that you know a Stiles, and if you act like we've never met when you go to the wedding.”

Stiles turns around and rubs his hand on his arm. “Kira, I—thank you, I appreciate that. I'll explain everything. You're sure you've never mentioned me? Oh, oh, that's great. Okay, thank you. No, I've been hired to be Derek's boyfriend, and as far as everyone knows, it's a legitimate relationship. So—oh, I didn't think of that. You're right. Okay. Marketing Associate is now your job. I'll tell Danny in the morning. He'll be relieved, that's for sure. I—really? Great, thanks. I'll talk to Scott and Allison about that later. We might have to do some hiring soon. Do you want to be a trainer? I'll toss in a nice bonus. Ha, sure, okay. Thanks again, babe. See you tomorrow. Love you too!”

Stiles hangs up and turns back to Derek. “Problem solved. Kira's a professional. She knows how to handle her stuff.”

“And when everyone finds out this isn't real? When Malia finds out Kira's been lying to her?” Derek asks quietly.

“She requests that you speak to Malia about why it was so important to you that she keep quiet,” Stiles tells him.

“I can do that. What does Kira like? Maybe I'll get her something nice to say thank you,” Derek murmurs.

“That's nice of you,” Stiles says. “She likes swords.”

“I—okay,” Derek says, laughing. He bumps Stiles' shoulder. “And dinner next week?”

“I'm good for it,” Stiles says. “Free of charge too, especially if Cora's cooking again. Man, your sisters are talented.”

“They are,” Derek agrees. He slips his hand into Stiles, as though that's the most normal thing they do, and leads him through the rest of the garden. “Laura's company is pretty successful.”

“I bet Boyd would love doing this,” Stiles murmurs. “Think your sister would consider hiring him?”

“Are you trying to lose all of your escorts?” Derek asks.

“No, but I think it's time for my friends to move on. They've been great, and they can train new people. But they're all reaching new places in their life. Boyd, I know him pretty well. He wants to propose to Erica. And she just got lucky when Heather quit and I moved her to a receptionist.” Stiles shrugs. “I care about them, and I know they deserve better.”

“That's—that's quite nice of you,” Derek says. They turn a corner and there is Laura's favourite fountain. Stiles blinks.

“Wow, that's gorgeous.” He rushes forward, dragging Derek with him. “I'm not a fountain guy, not really, but _wow_.”

Derek smiles. Laura had created a beautiful masterpiece with this one—a stone wolf howling at a stone moon, the water coming from the wolf's mouth and falling over the crescent moon. “You should see it when—”

Derek falls silent when someone in the house flicks the lights on. He leans against Stiles and murmurs, “—when the lights are on.”

“I think your sisters and cousin like us together,” Stiles says, his voice sounding a little thick with emotion. Which emotion, Derek doesn't know. “They're really great people, Derek. You're lucky.”

“Yeah,” he says. “But I have to lie to them. I mean, Laura obviously knows. But I hate lying to the others.”

“So don't.”

“It's not that easy,” Derek admits. “They mean well, but I feel suffocated. I feel like a disappointment. Them thinking that I'm dating someone and happy, well, it makes it a little easier.”

“You don't have to tell me why you're doing this,” Stiles says, quietly.

“I know, but I want to.” Erica had told Derek that Stiles would ask, he would want to know, and here he was, telling him that he didn't have to talk about it. Derek pulls Stiles down onto the edge of the fountain wall with him. “They love me so much, and I'm so lucky, but honestly, Cora's engagement party was a mess. My parents cornered me whenever they got a chance. My aunts would comment on how it would be so nice if I could find someone good for Cora's wedding. My uncles even had a couple remarks about it. My—my family means well, they do. But it gets a little hard to deal with after a while.”

“I get that,” Stiles promises. “I do. And trust me, I would be running a bankrupted company if people simply talked about these issues with the people they cared about. But I worry that this could hurt you.”

“It's my risk to take.”

“It is.”

They sit in silence for a while. Stiles finally breaks it, and says, “I think your family's waiting to see us be coupley.”

“Aren't we doing that?” Derek asks.

Stiles doesn't bother answering. He lifts his chin and then leans in, kissing Derek. Stiles puts his fingers on Derek's cheek, stroking him slightly, and then he pulls back.

Derek can barely breathe.

His body is doing a thousand different things right now.

And he can't think in complete thoughts.

He dips his head down and pulls Stiles' face back to his. Holy fucking shit. His stomach is tight with anticipation, with nerves, with want, with need. His blood is pounding, and he feels himself tense. It's as though something is kicking him in the gut and screaming, _this is what you've been looking for, this is where you are meant to be, this is home._ Derek wants to push all of those thoughts away, but he can't.

When he pulls back this time, his breaths are short and he rests his forehead against Stiles.

“Stiles, I—”

God, he'd wanted to that for so long. If Derek's honest with himself, he had wanted to do that back in grade twelve when this grade ten had been in his space all the goddamn time. Fuck, Derek can remember the night after Kate had been taken away to a mental institute. He had walked aimlessly for a few hours, only to end up at the high school lacrosse field. Derek remembers being surprised to see Stiles and his best friend, Scott, there.

Stiles had told Scott to go home, and that they'd practice the following day. Scott hadn't questioned his friend—something Derek had always thought was a little odd—and then Stiles had been crossing the field towards him. They'd met somewhere in the middle, and Stiles had sat down.

Derek had hesitated before he'd joined him on the grass. Derek had ended up lying down with his head on Stiles' lap. They hadn't talked. Stiles had casually played with Derek's hair. It had been such an intimate moment, and Derek had tried not to think about it on a regular basis.

But here he was, finally kissing the guy who had silently understood him all of those years ago. And all he wants to do is keep kissing him.

“They're gone,” Stiles says, pulling back. He drops his hand from Derek's face. “C'mon, let's head back in.”

“I...sure,” Derek says, trying not to feel disappointed when Stiles doesn't reach for his hand again. He follows him back to the house.

How the hell was he supposed to do this without wondering how life could've been with Stiles Stilinski at his side? Derek's not much for fantasizing about a romantic partner, but those rules had never applied to Stiles back then. He doesn't think they apply now either.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Wow, Stiles is great,” Heather says, smiling at Derek in the hallway. He's waiting for Stiles to come back from the bathroom and then they're heading out.

Derek nods. “He really is.”

Heather's eyeing him down carefully. She steps towards him, puts her hand on his arm, and quietly says, “I'm happy you've found someone so well matched to you, Derek. Cora was worried about you, but I think you've done great for yourself—with or without Stiles. Your little bantering about Robin Hood was adorable.”

Derek lets out a small laugh. Stiles had argued that Little John was the main character of Robin Hood, which Derek thinks is absolutely ridiculous. But his heart had melted when he'd discovered that Stiles had read _The Adventures of Robin Hood_ by Howard Pyle. It'd been his favourite book growing up, and the fact that his boyfriend knew it well had tripped him up. Stiles had winked and then continued to argue that the book clearly follows the adventures of Little John as well, and he's important to Robin Hood's success.

His _fake_ boyfriend knew it well, he corrects.

“Yeah, it's a common debate,” Derek says. It could be true, if they were actually dating. He's trying so hard to not romanticize the idea of him and Stiles, but goddammit, he has _so_ much fun with Stiles. Even Laura had taken him aside tonight to warn him that he's playing with fire.

“Well, I'm very happy for you. And he's really cute. So bonus there,” Heather says, with a wink.

He laughs. “Yeah, that's not even the best part about Stiles.”

“Talking me up, are we?” Stiles asks, entering the hallway. He settles in beside Derek, grabbing his hand, and leaning into him. “You just don't want me to stick you on the couch tonight for saying that Robin Hood is the main character.”

“He _is_ ,” Derek says. “The book is literally named after him. They're _his_ adventures.”

“Ah, ah,” Stiles says, shaking his head. “Let's not do this again. It was so lovely meeting you, Heather. I hope we didn't annoy you with our Robin Hood debate.”

“Not at all,” Heather says, smiling. “If you wait a minute, I think Cora wants to send you home with some cheesecake.”

“I can't say no to that,” Stiles says. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” Heather answers. She glances down the hall. “Hang on, I'll go see what's taking her so long.”

“She's probably fighting Laura,” Derek says. “Laura practically turns into a protective wolf when cheesecake is involved.”

Stiles grins. Heather laughs as she walks away from them. Stiles looks up at Derek. “Hey, are you alright? You seemed kind of on edge tonight.”

“I'm fine. I had a long day today.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Stiles asks, frowning.

“Laura took half of your cheesecake. Sorry,” Cora announces when she enters the hallway, holding up a container. “She's insane about cheesecake.”

“Always good to know someone's weakness,” Stiles comments.

Cora and Heather laugh, and Laura rolls her eyes from behind them. Cora hands the container to Stiles. “It was a pleasure, as always. I can't wait for my wedding weekend. Our parents are going to love you.”

“That's good,” Stiles says. “Derek's worried they might not like me.”

Derek swivels his head to look at him. “ _What_ are you talking about? I never said that.”

“No, but I know you well enough by now.” Stiles rolls his eyes. “He's worried.”

“He's probably concerned that they'll adopt you and abandon him,” Cora teases.

“Probably,” Derek mutters, sarcastically.

“Anyway, thanks again for a fun night and the cheesecake. I can't wait to see you next week. You're both going to look stunning,” Stiles says, charming as always.

Cora and Heather both give him hugs, and Laura requests a fist-bump. Derek hugs them all before they step out into the cool air. He glances at Stiles. “You're good at this.”

“It's my job to be good,” Stiles murmurs. “It's why I'm so expensive.”

“Yeah.”

“Don't worry, I told Erica not to charge you for tonight. I was the one who accepted for us, not you.”

“It's fine. I wouldn't mind paying, if you're worried about that—”

“Why did your day suck?” Stiles asks once they've settled in the car. Derek pauses before he turns on his Camaro.

“One of my students came to me about another student being abused at home.” He never talks about this kind of thing with anyone. His entire family thought that being a teacher was easy, that he never had nights where he stayed up, unable to sleep, filled with worry. Derek never wanted to burden them, but Stiles...Stiles had always seen him deal with tough shit. And now...now things are different.

“Oh god, Derek.”

“It's going to be okay, but I know that the system is useless for kids over the age of twelve. She'll be put into some shitty group home for the next two years and...she's really bright.” Derek turns the car on, and starts backing out of the driveway before he continues. “She's funny, smart, and she doesn't deserve any of it.”

Stiles reaches over and slips his fingers in between Derek's. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” Derek murmurs. He glances to see Stiles' face fill with rejection. Then he adds, “You're already doing it.”

It seems to settle Stiles.

Derek wonders what the hell he's going to do after the wedding weekend. Stiles would be gone, and Derek...he'd never be the same. He's only hung out with Stiles three times now, and he already knows everything's changed for him.

God, he doesn't want to lose Stiles. Not yet. He's not ready.

He squeezes Stiles' hand, and Stiles squeezes back.

 

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

**STILES:** _call me now  
_ **STILES:** _I have news_

 

Derek glances up at the clock. There's still a half-hour for the lunch period. He'd been hovering outside of the principal's office. He had reported Meredith's abuse, had been waiting to hear what the social worker had learned from the teen, and is dying to know what would happen now.

He dials Stiles' number.

“What?” he says, when he hears Stiles pick up.

_“I work with an abuse-survivor. His dad used to beat—it doesn't matter. But I talked to him about the thing you told me about last night. He's willing to take your student in if the system will let him. He's been there, and he's doing really great now. His name's Isaac Lahey, and I'd trust him with my life.”_

Derek can't breathe. “Stiles, I didn't tell you that so you could go out and find some solution for it. It's not even your problem.”

_“No, but this is a teen girl we're talking about. This would be a much better option than a group home, and isn't that what we want?”_ Stiles asks, sounding a little hurt.

“I could kiss you right now. Can you both come into the school right now?” Derek asks.

_“Actually, we're sitting in the parking lot.”_

“Come inside. I'll meet you at the front,” Derek says. He hangs up and rushes down the hall.

Derek doesn't even bother to fight the urge to throw his arms around Stiles when he sees him. He slips his hand into Stiles' and then pulls him towards the principal's office. The guy Stiles had been standing beside, Isaac presumably, follows them silently.

“Mr. Hale, you can't go in there—” Braeden, the receptionist, says.

“I can and I will,” Derek responds. He pushes the principal's office open. “Chris, I have to talk to you.”

Chris Argent looks up from his seat. He presses his lips together and looks unimpressed. Derek doesn't care. “Mr. Hale. This is an important, _confidential_ meeting.”

“No,” Derek says. Maybe he doesn't have the best relationship with the principal—but that's only because Chris's sister had been the one to seduce him and almost murder Derek's family so many years ago. “This is my boyfriend, Stiles Stilinski, and his friend, Isaac Lahey.”

“Okay?” Chris says, eyeing them down. “I care because...?”

“Because Isaac—” It suddenly occurs to Derek that he doesn't know Isaac. He's so desperate for an alternative for Meredith, that he didn't ask Stiles any questions. He looks over at his fake boyfriend. He had put all of his trust into this guy he barely knows. Oh fuck, what had he done?

He can feel the eyes of Argent and the social worker—Jordan Parrish; Derek had worked with him before—on him. His throat's suddenly very dry.

“My dad used to abuse me,” Isaac says, quietly. He steps forward. Derek glances over to see Meredith's reaction. She keeps a very straight face, but he catches a glimpse of curiosity in her eyes.

“Mr. Hale, I suggest that you—”

“He used to hit me. Throw things at me. He screamed a lot, and locked me in a broken freezer for hours some nights. I always thought I was at fault, but it was never my fault. It took me a long time to learn that,” Isaac keeps speaking. “I didn't have anyone to hold my hand, to help me out, for a long, long time. Stiles, here, and his father, they saved me. Then Stiles introduced me to his friends, and I honestly would be dead now if it hadn't been for them. It's time I pay the chance that they gave me forward. Stiles told me about you, Meredith.”

She lifts her head now, and meets his eyes. Quietly, she says, “It's my mother.”

Isaac nods. “She doesn't listen to you, does she?”

Meredith shakes her head. “She screams, like your dad. And she throws plates. We only have two left. Two.”

Isaac steps around Derek and moves towards her. He bends down beside her chair. “It's going to be okay now, Meredith. Even if you don't get to come home with me, you told someone. That was very brave. It must have been hard to admit that your mother is mean to you.”

Meredith's eyes start to water. She nods.

Derek glances at Stiles, who looks ready to cry. He reaches out and grabs Stiles' hand, hoping to offer him comfort. Stiles looks surprised and conflicted. But he doesn't pull away.

“Everyone here wants to help you. I want to help you. Would that be okay with you?”

Derek watches as Meredith does something he's never seen her do before. She reaches out and wraps her arms around Isaac's neck. Then she starts crying. He holds her and rubs her back, soothing her with soft words.

Derek meets Chris's eyes. He raises his eyebrows. Chris nods.

That's all he needs to know. Chris will vouch for Isaac when Parrish asks for references. Derek nods to Parrish and pulls him out of the office, dragging Stiles with him. “What can we do to ensure that Isaac can foster her?”

“You know that I only want what's best for these kids, Derek,” Parrish starts. At his name, Stiles squeezes his hand. Derek glances at his fake boyfriend, confused at that subtle reaction. He turns back to Parrish. “I'll do everything in my control to ensure that Meredith gets placed at the best possible home.”

“Isaac's home,” Stiles says, determined.

Parrish looks at him now. “I can't promise you that. The system is a terrible place, but I think that Isaac can be compelling enough in front of a judge to be granted custody. Did either of you see the bruises on her stomach?”

“No,” Derek answers, meek. His stomach turns at the thought of someone hurting Meredith.

“Well, her abuse is serious. We're going to take her to the hospital to get her checked out—and I have a feeling we're going to find evidence of long term abuse. It'll mean that her being moved out of the house will be a faster process than if this was only fresh evidence.” Parrish sighs. “I'll do my best, Derek.”

Stiles glances up at Derek and he can only nod.

The door opens and Meredith stands there. She looks only at Parrish. “I want to live with Mr. Lahey.”

Parrish nods. “I'll do my best, Meredith.”

“No. I want to live with Mr. Lahey,” Meredith repeats. “I want to live with him. I want to live with him.”

“Meredith,” Isaac says, in a soft tone. “He'll do his best, I promise.”

She nods now, but Derek can see the fire in her eyes. She's going to make it _very_ clear to anyone who will listen that she wants to live with Isaac. Derek glances at Stiles, whose smile doesn't reach his eyes.

“Mr. Hale, may I have a word?” Chris asks, popping in his doorway. “Isaac is going to go with Meredith and Parrish to the hospital.”

“Sure,” Derek says. He turns to Stiles. “I—”

“Yell at me for butting in business that's not mine later,” Stiles whispers. “I'm going to go with them to the hospital. I know an excellent nurse there, and she'll help us.”

Derek nods. “Miss McCall.”

“You know Scott's mom?” Stiles asks, surprised.

“She...helped me,” Derek answers, and leaves it at that. He leans forward, brushing his lips against Stiles' cheek and whispers, “I'm not going to yell at you later.”

Stiles' expression is unreadable, but then Derek is pulling his hand out of his and walking towards the office. He pauses to give Meredith a hug and then he shakes Isaac's hand.

When he glances back, Stiles is staring at him, expression unchanged.

He gives Parrish a nod before he shuts the door behind him.

“I am aware that that was highly unprofessional and you can fire me if you want,” Derek says a few seconds after he realizes Chris isn't going to speak first.

Chris shakes his head. “No. Please sit down, Derek.”

“I know I shouldn't have mentioned Meredith's situation to my boyfriend,” Derek murmurs. _Much less a fake boyfriend,_ he thinks. “But I was upset and—”

“Stop,” Chris interrupts. “Derek, I would like to thank you. I don't care that you told your boyfriend. When you three stepped outside, Isaac continued to talk to Meredith. She lifted her sleeve to show Isaac cigarette burns that her mother left on her arm. I don't know Isaac, but he got through to Meredith. It's the first time all morning that she's admitted that she's being abused. You knew who Meredith needed when Parrish and I didn't.”

_Stiles had known_ , Derek thinks.

“Parrish will do his best, trust that. I need to thank you for more than this situation though,” Chris says, frowning. He rubs a hand through his hair and then continues, “I never fully apologized for how horrified I am about my sister's actions.”

“No,” Derek says, shaking his head. “That isn't an apology I need.”

“But it's one that I need to give,” Chris tells him. “If I had known she'd seduced you, at such a young age, I would've reported her to the cops. I didn't know, Derek. And then when the Sheriff had arrived at my doorstep to tell me he'd found Kate laughing at a burning house—at _your_ burning house—well, I've never felt more guilty. I had had suspicions that she was unstable, but she was my sister, so I had ignored it. I shouldn't have.”

“Chris,” Derek says, quietly. “It was a long time ago.”

“I know. But it doesn't mean it doesn't still keep me up at night. I am so sorry for the trouble that my sister put you through,” Chris tells him. “And today, you barged into my office, and you demanded to be heard despite that. Thank you for being a better man than I.”

Derek shakes his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. All of Kate's actions were _Kate's_ _actions._ You had no control over that. I appreciate the words, but Chris, we've been fine since you transferred to the school.”

Chris nods. “Thank you, Derek.”

“Thank you,” Derek echoes. “And thank you for taking my concerns about Meredith seriously. It had come up once before, with the previous principal, and he hadn't listened to me. He went through the procedures but he was convinced that she wasn't being abused and my hands were tied. The police laughed me off. This time...this time I couldn't let it go again.”

“Yeah. If only the Sheriff wasn't running the office here in Sacramento too, huh?” Chris asks.

Derek smiles. “I'll mention it to Stiles.”

“ _That's_ who your boyfriend is? I knew I recognized him.” Chris exhales deeply before he adds, “He seems like a solid guy. Good choice, Hale.”

He rolls his eyes. “I was simply _dying_ for your approval, Argent.”

“Well, now you have it. Get out. I haven't had lunch yet and I'll call you the second Parrish calls me back to give me an update on Meredith, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Derek pauses in Chris's door frame. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Chris waves a hand as he pulls open his drawer with his other one. “Go shape minds, Hale.”

“Will do, boss.”

Derek enters his classroom. He can't find an appetite, so he settles in his chair behind his desk. Today hadn't gone like he'd expected at all. He picks up his cell phone and texts Stiles.

 

**DEREK:** _thanks_  

**STILES:** _don't thank me yet  
_ **STILES:** _sorry for butting in when it wasn't my place_

**DEREK:** _i'm happy you did  
_ **DEREK:** _keep me posted on meredith_

**STILES:** _of course  
_ **STILES:** _isaac's nervous but he says he's ready for this  
_ **STILES:** _he's pretty determined  
_ **STILES:** _I'm working until your sister's weekend but I have thursday morning off_

**DEREK:** _lunch date? I have to stay at school (supervising cafeteria)_

**STILES:** _you want me to join you in front of your students?_

**DEREK:** _only if you're up for it  
_ **DEREK:** _it'd be nice to be able to talk about this before my sister's wedding_

**STILES:** _then I'll be there  
_ **STILES:** _we're pulling up to the hospital now, text you later  
_ **STILES:** _btw, you'll have to tell me what chris wanted with you (he never liked me as a kid)_

**DEREK:** _I will later_

 

The bell rings and Derek tucks his phone away. He tries not to worry about it for the rest of the afternoon, but when break comes, he rushes towards it.

 

**STILES:** _god derek, it's worse than we realized  
_ **STILES:** _but parrish has talked to a judge now  
_ **STILES:** _and isaac is officially been granted temporary custody  
_ **STILES:** _oh god it keeps getting worse  
_ **STILES:** _this poor girl_

 

He calls Stiles now.

“I have eight minutes. What happened?”

_“She's been repeatedly beaten for years, but also the doctors see signs of manipulation, mental, and emotional abuse,”_ Stiles tells him. Derek can hear the heartbreak in his voice. He inhales sharply, unsure how to handle the news. How had he not known? He could've done something—he should've done something before this. _“Derek, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known. Isaac has convinced her to press charges. This is going to be a whole, horrible ordeal.”_

“Stiles, I—”

_“I canceled with my client tonight. Got Boyd to cover my shift. I'm coming over, okay?”_

“Okay,” Derek murmurs.

_“It's going to be okay. Isaac's been really great with her.”_

“Stiles,” Derek whispers.

_“I know, Derek, but it'll be okay now. I'll see you as soon as I help Isaac and Meredith go shopping, okay?”_

“Okay.”

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Derek?” Stiles asks, shifting on the couch so that he can bury his feet behind Derek's back. He glances over at his fake boyfriend, who has been over every night for the past four days.

“Yeah?”

“Isaac told me that Meredith laughed yesterday, and that they're going to the amusement park the weekend after Cora's wedding. He invited us,” Stiles says, looking down at his hands. “Think you'd want to go?”

“I—that'd be nice, Stiles.”

“It wouldn't be part of _Fake Sparks_ ,” Stiles rushes to say. “Because our contract would be over then.”

“I figured,” he said. “We can still be friends though, right?”

“Right,” Stiles murmurs. “Scott covered my shift tonight. Allison seemed okay with it, but I think I have to go out with some dude tomorrow night.”

“Okay,” Derek says. “But you're mine Friday to Monday.”

“Yeah,” Stiles answers, nodding. “All yours. Are you...are you still annoyed that Laura convinced you to hire me?”

“No, not at all,” Derek tells him. He shifts and turns the television off. Clearly Stiles wants to talk. “Stiles, I know this is a highly unconventional way to make a friend, but I kind of feel...I feel as though we've at least established a friendship of some sort. Am I wrong?”

“No,” Stiles rushes to say. “No, you're not. I'm glad it's not just me.”

Derek's cell phone starts ringing and he leans forward to pick it up. He frowns and looks at Stiles. “It's the _Fake Sparks_ office.”

“Weird,” Stiles says. “I have no idea why anyone would be calling you from there.”

Derek shrugs and answers it. “Hello?”

_“Derek, we have a problem.”_ Erica's voice comes through. _“Listen, Scott was supposed to cover Stiles' shift tonight, but then Scott and Allison fought. I need Stiles to work in thirty minutes. I know he took the time off to help you do whatever—which, FYI, is so not cool and totally a breach of his own damn contract—and I've been trying to reach him all day. Put him on.”_

“Stiles is—” Derek pauses when he sees Stiles motioning for him to not say a word. “He isn't with me.”

_“That's bullshit. Put him on right now, Derek. It's his own damn company he's about to jeopardize.”_ Erica's demanding and Derek can't seem to find the urge to fight her. He hands out the phone to Stiles, who pouts.

“Erica, my lovely, how are you?” Stiles asks, with fake happiness. Then he winces, and Derek can hear her lecture. He gets up from the couch and moves into the kitchen. God, how had they gotten here? He was supposed to hire some guy to be his fake boyfriend for a wedding. Yet, somehow his fake boyfriend was acting _very_ boyfriend-like and hanging out with him while he graded papers.

He props his elbows on the table and rubs his head. Goddammit, this isn't okay. He doesn't want to pretend anymore. Derek wants this to be real. And here they'd been talking about being _friends_ after this is over? Friends? That's the last thing he wants to be.

Derek lifts his head when he hears Stiles enter the room.

“I have to work tonight,” Stiles says, sounding sullen.

“It's okay.”

It's not.

It has to be.

Stiles isn't his actual boyfriend.

Derek swallows.

“Derek, I—I don't want to. I'd rather be here, with you.”

“Go to work, Stiles.” Derek stands up straight. “I'll see you tomorrow for lunch, and then on Friday. We'll check into the hotel around ten o'clock. We have to get ready for the dinner rehearsal on Saturday. Wedding's Sunday, and Monday will be spent with the family.”

_Then it's over_ , he doesn't say.

“Right, okay.” Stiles rubs a hand through his hair. Then he walks up to Derek. “Listen, this has been one of the strangest, intense experiences of my life.”

“What has?” Derek asks.

“You.” Then Stiles presses his lips against Derek's. When he pulls back, he whispers, “I'm not sure what any of it means.”

“I—”

“Yeah,” Stiles says. Then he steps away. He grabs his wallet from the kitchen counter and nods goodbye to Derek. Without another word, Stiles is gone from the apartment.

Derek lifts his hand and touches his lips. No one had been around to see that kiss, so what the hell does it mean?

A smile covers his face. It doesn't matter what it means, because Stiles had kissed Derek just to kiss Derek. He hums to himself as he walks back into the living room and turns the television on.

Perhaps Stiles would kiss his client tonight, and perhaps he'd kiss tomorrow's client, but they wouldn't know what it's like to be kissed by Stiles when he wanted to kiss you.

He calls Cora on commercial break.

“I know you're probably busy, but I was wondering if you wanted to come over and watch a movie with me?”

_“Yeah, that would be a great break right now. Heather's mother is getting too intense about the final wedding details. I'll be over with Laura in twenty.”_

“Sounds great.”

When he curls up in his living room to watch _Legally Blonde_ (bride's choice) with his two sisters, Derek feels a strange peace falling over him. He doesn't have to question why.

“You seem happy,” Cora comments when they break to make popcorn.

“I think I am,” Derek answers. “Stiles kissed me tonight.”

Cora laughs as though that's a cute response, and Derek sees Laura raise an eyebrow. She'd lectured him on getting too close, but Derek had tossed her warnings out the window. He's going to enjoy this as long as it lasts.

“You two are made for each other. Seriously. Malia told me she and Kira ran into Stiles yesterday. Apparently, when Malia asked about you, Stiles got _the look_ on his face,” Cora tells him.

“Stiles didn't mention running into them.”

“Probably because he started gushing about you,” Cora says, laughing. “Malia said he started talking so much and they couldn't stop him until Kira interrupted him to tease him about having a huge thing for his boyfriend. He just agreed.”

Derek doesn't fight the smile, and Laura only looks more concerned. He knows he'll hear it later.

“He's the cutest.”

“Nawh, Heather's got him beat,” Cora says, stretching out. “Let's start the movie again. I should get back to her as soon as possible.”

“Alright,” Laura says, quietly hitting play again. She glances at Derek and eyes him down. He silently tells her to drop it. Laura presses her lips together and turns back to the TV.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“You need to tell Stiles that he can't come to the wedding,” Laura says, when she walks into his classroom on Friday during lunch. Derek looks up, frowning.

“Excuse me? Why?” he asks.

“Because you guys are breaking all of the escort rules,” Laura tells him, sitting on a desk in front of him. “He's a professional, Derek. But he has you wrapped around his finger. You're going to get hurt. I cannot be the reason you get hurt. No, I refuse. You need to show up to the wedding single. I was wrong.”

“No way,” Derek says, shaking his head. “I'm going to the wedding with Stiles.”

“Derek, you're falling for him!” she exclaims. “Admit it.”

“Alright, fine, I'm falling for him. What's the big deal? I know what's going to happen. I know it'll be over after the wedding,” Derek says. He doesn't mention the date with Isaac and Meredith the following weekend. “I know we'll be over with. But why can't I enjoy his company now? Why can't I like what what I have with him?”

“You're going to get hurt,” Laura warns. “He went out with a client last night. He probably had to kiss him and pretend to be just as into him as he was with you. How does that make you feel?”

“It's his _job,_ Laura. He's paid to do that.” Derek feels anger rising and he tries to control it. He gets up and shuts his classroom door. “It's his job. I am fully aware of that. I am _paying_ him to pretend to be my boyfriend. I'm _not_ paying him to be my friend, and he is. You don't know what we've been through.”

“Do you know that when we were at Cora's house, the first night, I realized that I knew Stiles? He's the boy that you used to moon over, back in grade twelve. You two never had a functional relationship. It was weird, how you never talked, but you spent so much time together. But there you were, falling all over him, forgetting about _Kate_ , and all I wanted was for you to be happy!” Laura says. “I only want you to be happy, Derek. But he hurt you back then.”

“He didn't do anything,” Derek says, confused.

“Exactly. You told him you were going away to school, and he only nodded. I remember how disappointed you were.” Laura sighs, frustrated. “Don't do this to yourself. Don't set any expectations with him. And, fuck, Derek, be careful.”

“I—”

“You used to tell me that you and Stiles never talked in high school. But I've never seen you be yourself so comfortably around anyone like you are with Stiles before.” Laura shakes her head. “I need my little brother to be careful.”

“I will be,” he promises. “Can't I just be happy for now? Until it's over?”

“Yeah,” she says, leaning back on her hands. “Do you have a supply teacher for Tuesday?”

“Yeah. I took Monday and Tuesday off.”

“Then I'll be there Tuesday morning with Moosetracks ice cream.” There's a small understanding shared between them before Laura asks, “So why has he been spending so much free time with you, anyway?”

Derek shrugs. “It's a complicated story.”

“We've got another forty-five minutes. Tell me,” Laura says, smiling.

Derek caves, because it's Laura. By the time he's finished explaining how Stiles is making sure that Derek isn't wallowing in guilt over Meredith, they have a half-hour left. His sister had been suspiciously quiet through his explanation.

Laura inhales deeply and then says, “God, Derek, I hope for your sake that this works out. Because I'm starting to regret my decision to send you to that company.”

“Well, you did, and I took your advice.” Derek shrugs. “I'll be fine, Laura.”

She looks uneasy. “If you're sure.”

“And if I'm wrong, well, I'll still have you, right?”

She gives him a laugh. “Oh, you have it bad, big brother. Especially if you think still having _me_ is your only positive.”

“I appreciate your concern, Laura.”

“Yeah, well.”

“This weekend's going to be insane, isn't it?”

“It'll be something.”

There's a knock on the door. Derek looks up to see Chris in the window. He waves him in. Chris looks at Laura. “Two visitors in two days. Someone's suddenly popular.”

“This is my sister, Laura,” Derek introduces. “Laura, this is Chris, the principal.”

“Argent,” Laura says, her tone a little stiff.

“He's cool,” Derek murmurs. She looks surprised but then relaxes.

“Can I speak to you?”

“Don't worry, I was heading out. It was nice meeting you, Chris.” Laura's eyes flutter over the principal and she smiles. “I hope you have a lovely day.”

“You too, Miss Hale.”

“Laura,” she purrs. She brushes her hand against his arm.

When the classroom door shuts behind him, Chris looks at Derek with the most dumbfounded expression on his face. Derek laughs. “Ignore her. She likes to keep men on their toes. What can I do for you, Chris?”

“I was wondering how Meredith's been doing in your class.”

“Really well, actually. I offered to give her the test yesterday next week instead, but she told me that she'd been studying with Isaac and she wanted to take it with everyone else.” Derek smiles.

Chris looks relieved. “Great. Apparently, my daughter knows Isaac. I'm not sure how, but she said he's the best person Meredith could be placed with.”

“That's good to hear,” Derek says, nodding. His mind flashes back to the brunette on Stiles' _Fake Sparks_ website. A.A.—the girl who looked like she could kill a man without blinking. Oh god, that was Allison Argent. He knew she looked familiar. He tries not to laugh, but a smile escapes his lips. “Isaac's a good guy.”

“Yeah, yeah, he seems to be. He wants to do dinner with you, Meredith and I sometime in the future. Would you be up for it?” Chris asks.

He nods. “That sounds nice.”

“Oh good,” Chris says. “I wasn't sure...but yeah, that sounds nice. I'll let you know if we make definite plans.”

“Thanks,” Derek answers.

“And you'll have to bring your boyfriend,” Chris adds. “Also, let him know if he's ever interested in teaching graphic design here, I'll pull some strings. I saw that the kids really liked him yesterday.”

Yeah, yeah, they had. Not that Stiles has any experience in graphic design. Something's wrong when he has guilt about lying to an Argent. Or maybe, Derek considers, something's finally right. Chris studies him carefully.

“Thanks, Chris. I'll mention it to him.”

Stiles would call this extreme progression, and Derek wonders what he'd call the changes in their relationship.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“I'm exhausted,” Stiles mumbles, voice thick, when they arrive at the hotel. He had had to convince his parents on the phone for almost two hours that a hotel room was better for he and Stiles. He knows he could have rented a room with two beds, but way back when, Derek remembers Stiles saying they'd probably have to share a bed on the weekend. He had decided to take those words to heart. _No hanky panky_ , Stiles had said then.

Derek isn't sure he wants _hanky panky_ , but he definitely wants the opportunity to be close to Stiles. Laura's right. He's falling and he's falling fast. He can't help it.

“C'mon, I'll help you upstairs.”

Stiles yawns and hooks an arm over Derek's shoulders. Derek wraps an arm around his waist. He'd go back and grab their stuff afterward. “Stiles, there was only a room with a king size bed available.”

“Mm,” is Stiles' only response. He nuzzles his head into Derek when they pause for Derek to slide the key card in the slot. “Okay.”

“Stiles, um,” Derek stops talking when he realizes that Stiles is almost asleep against him. He shifts, pushing the door open, and drags Stiles in. He helps him into bed, and takes off Stiles' shoes.

“Derek,” Stiles says, eyes closed. “Derek, you are—and I am—but we could be—”

“What's that, Stiles?” Derek asks. It's too late. Stiles is sound a sleep, mouth open and snore coming out.

Derek smiles, watching him for a few seconds, before he turns to get their stuff. They'd spent the entire car ride down discussing his family members, and how they'd react to Stiles. Derek told him who he'd bond with immediately and who he would have a hard time winning over. Stiles had assured him that everyone would love him. Derek didn't doubt him.

When he settles into the bed, wearing only his boxers, he curls up to face Stiles. It's strange, how Stiles had grown to be so important over a few weeks. Derek wonders whether or not he was making a mistake. He can't think about it too long now. So he passes out.

He wakes in the middle of the night to Stiles half on top of him, their fingers intertwined. Derek smiles and falls back asleep immediately.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“It's been so lovely meeting you,” Talia says, smiling at Stiles.

They'd spent most of the afternoon helping Cora's event planners set up for the dinner rehearsal. Derek and Stiles had chased each other around at one point, laughing, and being extremely childish. Cora hadn't minded, and Laura had even looked amused. Heather had laughed and said they were almost as cute as Cora and herself. Stiles argued that no one in the whole world was as cute as the two of them, which had made the brides blush.

Meeting Talia and Derek's father had gone smoothly. His parent's hadn't been surprised that Derek was dating another man. In fact, neither of them had even remarked on it. Talia had smiled at Stiles the entire time they had been talking, because she'd walked in on Stiles and Derek kissing. There hadn't been any tongue, but it had still been an excellent, wonderful kiss. Derek's not even sure who had initiated it.

“Thank you, it's been great finally meeting you too,” Stiles answers.

“Cora's told me so much about you,” Talia says, before moving her eyes to her son. “Sadly, my son's been tight-lipped about everything.”

Stiles leans into Derek and smiles up at him. “That's Derek for you.”

“Hm.” Derek looks at his mom. She gives him a small nod. “I like this one, Derek. You should probably keep him around.”

“I plan to,” Derek says. He glances down at Stiles who looks a little worried. He tugs Stiles closer to him and puts his forehead against Stiles'. “I don't know where I'd be without you.”

Stiles doesn't move, and Derek senses his mother step out of the room. Quietly, Stiles murmurs, “Derek, I think we need to talk.”

“I think—I think we should, but I don't want to just yet. Enjoy this, Stiles.”

“I want to,” Stiles answers, honestly. “I want to so badly, but this is only a business transaction.”

Derek doesn't pull away, despite the sting the words give him. He presses his lips to Stiles' cheek. Then he whispers, “I know, but let's forget that for a few days. Let's pretend that we've been madly in love with one another for the past six months. Let's pretend that I didn't hire you from your company and that everything is going to be okay. Can we do that?”

Stiles lifts a hand to Derek's cheek. He nods, his head still against Derek's. “We could do that. If you really want.”

“I do. More than anything, I want to pretend this is real,” Derek murmurs. “You give me butterflies. I'm a grown man, and you give me fucking butterflies.”

“You only have butterflies? I have elephants stomping around in my stomach,” Stiles says, a laugh escaping his lips.

Derek kisses him, and when he deepens the kiss with his tongue, Stiles only pulls Derek closer.

“Oops!” Heather exclaims. They break apart. Derek's breathing harder than if he'd run a marathon. “I'm so sorry to interrupt. Cora is ready to start the rehearsal dinner in thirty minutes. She wants everyone to be ready.”

“We will be,” Stiles answers when Derek can't find his voice. He pulls his head away, and stands up straight. “Tell Cora we'll be there in fifteen.”

“Okay. Don't change in the same room,” Heather teases, “because I'm not sure you'll make it out of your room if you do.”

Stiles lets out a strangled laugh, full of tension. His hand finds Derek's, and Derek can only try to swallow the lump in his throat. His body is humming, full of tension and anticipation. Heather spins around and heads out of the room. Stiles inhales sharply and says, “C'mon, let's go get ready.”

Derek lets him lead the way. “Hey, Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“I've watched _Star Wars_ ,” Derek tells him.

Stiles laughs, as he pushes his back against the hallway wall. He yanks Derek towards him and presses their lips together. Derek lets his hands settle on Stiles' waist, and loves the way Stiles' hands can't settle in one place on his back. Then Stiles is pushing off the wall, and shoving Derek against it. He presses his hips into Derek's and rubs a little.

Derek pulls his head away and breathes, “Jesus, Stiles, we need to get changed still.”

“Okay, you're right. You...you go into the room first. I'll be up in five. I need to cool down,” Stiles tells him.

“Okay,” Derek says. Stiles takes a minute before he steps away from him. Derek starts walking down the hall, heart pounding, and he glances back to say, “I can't tell if you're pretending anymore.”

Stiles lets out a half-laugh but doesn't say anything. Derek rushes upstairs, hoping that he can take a quick cold shower. He has to get rid of this painful hard-on that _Stiles Stilinski_ just gave him in the hallway at his sister's wedding rehearsal. Life couldn't get any stranger, could it?

A cold shower doesn't work.

Derek knows what will, and goddamn, he wishes it was Stiles' hand on him. Or, _fuck_ , his mouth.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“I can't imagine Cora with anyone but Heather,” Derek says, mid-speech. “There's no one who makes Cora laugh harder, smile wider, and I've only ever seen Cora's happy dance a few times in my life. Almost all of them has been after a good night with Heather.”

There's a laugh from those who have seen Cora's silly happy dance. Derek glances down at Stiles before he addresses the crowd again. “I only wish you two the best, and I know you'll be happy for the rest of your lives. Relationships can get tough, but you're both fighters, and I know that you'll make it. It's a brother's duty to make sure that his sisters are going to marry someone worthy, and I'm lucky to say that Heather made that decision very easy.”

“Thank you,” Heather says, grinning. She leans into Cora and kisses her cheek.

“Welcome to the family, Heather. Good luck,” Derek says, with a wink. He quietly adds, “I hope you love it here.”

There's an applause and he sits down. Stiles leans into him and whispers, “That was a great speech, Derek.”

“Thanks,” Derek responds. Stiles is slipping his hand into Derek's, and he wonders if anything's changed. Then he remembers that they had agreed to pretend, so Derek squeezes and rests his shoulder against Stiles'.

Laura stands up. She clears her throat. “As the maid of honour, it's my duty to prepare a speech. I didn't prepare anything, and I was panicking all day. Procrastination is nobody's friend, people. But I don't need to have anything prepared. It's so clear, looking at you two, how much you love one another. I can't express how deeply happy I am for you both. Heather, my brother was right. I've never seen anyone make Cora do her happy dance as often as you have.”

“Get your own speech!” Derek teases.

Laura laughs. She nods. “I remember when I first saw you two together. You're the kind of couple that people look at and they think, _those two make perfect sense together._ You're the couple that us single people see and want to be part of something that special. I think, to find that one person who makes you smile the most, who can make you laugh when things get really dark, the person who's always there for you—to find someone who sees you at your worst and loves you anyway, it's so rare. I'm so happy to say that I believe you two have found that.”

Laura looks at Derek now. “It's scary, to open yourself to another person the way two people in love have to do. But you've found that something special that bonds you in ways no one else can ever know.”

She turns back to the happy couple. “Cherish that, because life happens, and things get busy, and people can forget. I have a feeling that this advice will be pointless for you, because I can't remember ever seeing two people so perfect for one another. I'm so happy that you have the one within each other, and I know you'll inspire others to take the same leap in order to find their own happiness. Thank you for the love you share. Heather, take care of my baby sister. Cora, if you hurt Heather, you'll have to deal with me. I love you both.”

Cora's grinning and Derek's not entirely sure she heard Laura's words. She's staring at Heather as though nothing can ever go wrong if she's by her side. Derek smiles and claps when Laura sits down. He turns to look at Stiles, and his heart stops.

Stiles Stilinski. Who knew?

Derek leans in and presses his lips lightly against Stiles'. He doesn't watch for Stiles' reaction, but instead turns to give Laura a knowing look. She smiles at him, and he can see the worry on her face.

But she knows. She knows that Derek's fallen madly, wildly, stupidly in love with Stiles. God, hadn't Erica said that this wasn't supposed to be like _Pretty Woman?_ Derek had failed to keep his agreement with Stiles' receptionist. He swallows, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat.

“Those were lovely speeches,” Stiles murmurs beside him.

Derek simply smiles.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“This is a great song,” Stiles tells him as they sway on the dance floor. “I'm so happy that your sister wanted to practice her first dance. I was too wired to go to bed just yet.”

“Same,” Derek says. He brushes his fingers against Stiles' cheek and then lets his hand drop back to Stiles' waist. “And any song by Frank Sinatra is a great song.”

“That's very true,” Stiles says.

“Excuse me, Stiles. Could I have this dance with my son?” Talia asks, standing beside them suddenly.

“By all means, Mrs. Hale.” Stiles steps away. “I'll have to go steal Laura for a dance then.”

“Please do,” Talia says. She catches Stiles' arm and adds, “And call me Talia.”

“Of course,” he says, with a nod. Then he's gone. Derek watches him, as he asks Laura to dance. She looks pleasantly surprised, and stands up. Derek has no idea that his mother's been talking to him until she pinches him.

He jumps and looks at her.

“I've never seen my son so deeply in love that he ignores his mother before,” Talia comments.

“Sorry, Mom. What were you saying?”

“I was telling you that I think Stiles is a great young man, and I'm happy to see that you are so happy together. He watches you when you're not looking,” Talia tells him. “It's as though you're the only thing in the world.”

Derek is unsure how to react to that. As he sways his mother around, his eyes catches Stiles' from across the dance floor. He barely moves after that, and his heart is in his throat. _Fuck_. He had only wanted this: he wanted to feel as though the rest of the world didn't exist when they made eye contact from across the room.

His lips part and Stiles' eyes seem to shine. Stiles feels it too. He must. There's no way he's _that_ good at his job. Right? Oh god.

“Derek?” Talia says, tapping her son's shoulder.

“Yeah?” he says, coming back to reality.

“We've stopped moving.” She steps away from him. “Go on, dance with your boyfriend.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Derek crosses the dance floor. He doesn't say a word, and Laura releases her grip on Stiles. They float together as though this is where they always belong, and Derek presses his forehead against Stiles. He's starting to think that he simply needs to be as close to him as possible, that this is his happy place.

“Derek?” Stiles asks.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for bringing me here. Your family is incredible,” Stiles tells him, quietly. “I was expecting an ambush, but you're right. They only want to see you happy.”

“Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm happy with you.”

“Derek, this is—”

“A business transaction, I know. But forget about that this weekend. Can't we just lose ourselves in one another for a few days?” Derek breathes.

“Okay,” Stiles caves. “Okay, we can...yeah.”

And then they're kissing. Derek forgets where they are, forgets who is around them. He can't even hear Frank Sinatra's voice anymore. They're moving out of the room, stumbling down a hallway, and finding the room that Cora had given them for the evening at the hotel. They'd moved their stuff in this morning but hadn't unpacked anything.

Derek shuts the door behind him with his foot, and Stiles stumbles backwards towards the bed. He tugs his tie off, and smiles brightly at Derek.

“What are you doing?” Stiles asks when Derek starts to take off his own tie. He freezes. Had he misunderstood? “You're too far away from me.”

Derek laughs and rushes forward, tackling Stiles to the bed.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

When he wakes in the morning, he's naked and tangled up in Stiles. He doesn't mind. He kisses Stiles nape and moves down to his shoulder. It's the only place his lips can reach right now. He's lost, he's drowning, and he never wants to be found. If this is what pure bliss feels like, Derek could stay here forever.

Stiles shifts on top of him, and then rocks his hips a little.

“God,” Derek breathes. “Don't do that to me, or else we'll never leave this bed today.”

Stiles chuckles against his shoulder. He murmurs, “That doesn't sound so bad. But alright, let's get ready. Cora will never forgive us if we're late.”

Derek wants to ask why Stiles would care about Cora forgiving him, because after today, he wouldn't be part of her life, but he doesn't want to ruin the mood. Stiles rolls off him and Derek regrets ruining their morning of fun. He sits up and looks down at Stiles.

“Last night was fun.”

“Fun?” Stiles snorts. “That was beyond fun. That was _incredible, mind-blowing sex_ we had, Derek.”

He grins. “Glad you think so too.”

Stiles laughs and throws a sock at him. Where he got the sock, Derek doesn't know. “You're so lame at prying. Now, I think you owe me breakfast in bed.”

“Actually, that was _your_ thing.”

“Mmm, I think that we should bend that a little bit.”

Derek leans forward and kisses Stiles' lips quickly. “Alright, I'll bring you breakfast in bed.”

“Best weekend _ever_ ,” Stiles teases.

And goddammit, that lump rises in his throat again. He pulls on a pair of boxers—only realizing that they belong to Stiles when he's yanking up his pants.

He orders room service and tells Stiles he'll be back in a few minutes. He has to get the wedding rings from Laura. It's not necessarily a lie.

He knocks on his sister's door.

She pulls it open and yawns. “Derek, what the fuck? It's like eight a.m.”

“I'm in love with Stiles,” Derek says.

Laura's eyes pop open and she lets him into her hotel room. She shuts the door by backing into it. “You're sure?”

“I've never been so sure of something before. What do I do?”

“I don't know.” Laura sighs. “I told you to be careful.”

“I can't live without him,” Derek murmurs. “Like, Laura, I think I might actually break if it doesn't work out. The forever-kind-of-break. The kind that Cora had feared when her and Heather got into their first fight.”

“You need more guy friends,” Laura comments. But then she's moving forward and sitting down beside him on her bed. “Derek, you knew this would happen.”

“I know, but I didn't realize how addicting he would become.” Derek frowns. “I miss him. He's down the hall, in our bed, and _I miss him_.”

Laura pats his knee. “Oh god. Derek, I don't know what you want me to say.”

“Don't say anything. Just don't tell me that you told me so when I show up to your place broken.”

“Okay,” she says, and leans against him. “What happened last night?”

“I had the best sex of my entire life. It's not like I've been celibate since Kate and Jenni—Julia. But I mean, that was...I...I'll never be able to have sex with anyone else again.”

“I'd say gross, but that's somehow endearing?” Laura sighs. “And forget about Julia. She wasn't anything to be upset about anyway.”

“She lied to me about her identity in order to get her hands on my trust fund,” Derek mutters. “Fuck, she even fooled Chris into thinking she was a teacher.”

“That's in the past now.”

“What if this is Stiles being _really_ good at his job?” Derek asks.

“No way,” Laura says, shaking her head. “Not the way he looks at you, Derek.”

“I—this sucks,” Derek mutters. “I should get back. I ordered him breakfast in bed.”

Laura frowns when he stands up.

“Thanks, sis.”

“Anytime,” she says, sadly.

“He makes me happy,” Derek assures her.

“Until he breaks your heart.”

“And soul,” Derek adds darkly. He leaves her room, unsure where to go from here. He should probably start with sharing breakfast with Stiles. It might be the only time he can do this.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“I vow to kiss you every time we leave one another,” Cora is saying, holding Heather's hands, with the best smile that Derek's ever seen her wear. “I vow that we will never go to bed angry at each other, even if that means neither of us sleep for three days.”

Heather laughs, tears in her eyes. “I vow that I will provide energy drinks and lots of coffee if we're ever up for three days straight.”

Cora nods, starting to cry herself. “I will never abandon you. I will always support you, and love you, and I will always need you. I—”

“I will always need you more,” Heather whispers.

Derek's sure that this isn't necessarily how vows are supposed to work, but his chest is swelling with how fucking happy he is for the two of them. Cora shakes her head. “Impossible.”

They kiss, and there's an applause. Then Cora whispers, “I do, I do, I do. A thousand, million, billion times. I do.”

“I do most, I always do, I always will do,” Heather says, laughing. Cora laughs with her. It's one of the most beautiful noises Derek's ever heard.

They're kissing again, and there are cheers—mostly from Derek and Stiles—and they barely hear, “I now pronounce you wife and wife, you may, well, you may keep kissing your one true love.”

Derek looks at Stiles, who is sitting in the second row on Cora's side, and he's laughing. Somehow, he knows that whatever happens, he has to at least _try_ to convince Stiles that they could work.

Cora and Heather start walking down the aisle together, laughing, holding hands, and kissing. Cora shouts, “I did it! I got the girl!”

There are more cheers and applause.

Derek rushes towards Stiles and pulls him to the side of the banquet hall. “Thank you for coming.”

“Thanks for asking me to,” Stiles says, glancing back at the happy couple. “They're going to make it. You can tell.”

“Stiles, would you want to give this a shot?” Derek asks, hopeful.

“Derek—,” Stiles pauses. He inhales deeply and frowns. “Derek, I can't. I want to, but I can't.”

“Stiles,” Derek pleads.

“C'mon, your sister just got married. Let's go celebrate that,” Stiles says, stepping away.

Derek watches him, unsure what to do now. When Stiles glances back at him, he says, “I'll be over in a minute.”

Stiles nods and then disappears in the crowd.

He shakes his head when he meets Laura's eyes. Her shoulders drop.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Stiles?” Cora says into the microphone. The entire room looks up at the stage. Derek is wondering if he's made a huge mistake.

After the photography session, and twenty minutes before the reception, Derek had sat Cora down. He'd explained everything between him and Stiles from the beginning. She hadn't laughed like he had expected her to. Instead, she'd hugged him and asked what she could do to help.

“I just wanted to say thank you for making my big brother happier than anyone. I've seen the way you two look at each other, and it's magic. I hope you two never give up on each other.”

Derek looks around the crowd. He hadn't asked Cora to do that, but he needs to know Stiles' reaction. His eyes find him on the other side of the room. Stiles starts walking towards him, and Derek pushes pass people to meet him in the middle of the dance floor.

“I don't want your money,” Stiles says.

“Okay,” Derek answers.

“And I don't want you to judge me.”

“I never would,” Derek promises.

“I stalked you in high school,” Stiles admits suddenly. Derek keeps a straight face and only tilts his head slightly at the confession. “Running into you so often wasn't on accident, but then you started to sit at my table in the library or the cafe and that time you sat beside me at the movie theater. I felt so guilty, and very confused. You never spoke to me.”

“I'm not a big talker,” Derek says, shrugging. “At least, I wasn't.”

“And then what happened with Kate, that was awful.” Stiles is reaching out for Derek's hands. “I wanted so badly to help you but I didn't know how.”

“You did, on the lacrosse field.”

“Derek, I had the biggest crush on you. I fantasized every night before I fell asleep what it would be like to be loved by you, to be with you.” Stiles jumps at Derek squeezing his hands. “I could see it so clearly, but I was so wrong. This, it's...it's so much better. And all weekend, you've been great. Yesterday was incredible.”

“But?” Derek prompts.

“But I don't know if I can do this.” Stiles takes a deep breath before he says, “If I lose you...”

“You won't,” Derek promises.

“You don't know that. So many things could go wrong, and you've become one of my best friends. I...”

“I could spend my entire life trying to express how crazy in love with you I am,” Derek whispers, interrupting. “I'll never find the right words. You have to trust me.”

Stiles glances away, biting his bottom lip. Then he says, “I...”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then trust me when I say that no one compares to you.”

“But my job...”

“Is your job,” Derek rushes to say. “It's your job, but if you give me your word, if you feel a fraction of what I feel for you, then I'll never doubt you.”

Derek hears Malia ask Kira from their table near by, _“Isn't he a graphic designer? Why is that a big deal?”_

He tightens his grip on Stiles, afraid he might lose him.

“I put my nose into peoples' business a lot. Like with—” Stiles stops talking, aware that people are listening to them. He doesn't need to specify what he's talking about though.

“And I'm grateful you did. Stiles, why are you doubting this?” Derek asks.

“Because...because I think I fell in love with you years ago and never got over you. It feels unreal that you might feel the same for me,” Stiles admits.

Derek's lips press against Stiles'. When he pulls back, he whispers, “There are no fake sparks here, Stiles.”

Stiles lets out a strangled laugh and he hits Derek's shoulder. “That's the lamest joke you could ever say in the history of ever.”

Derek waits, his heart beating too fast.

“Fuck, I love you.” Stiles laughs, the sound flowing easier now. “Oh my god, I love you. I love the guy who makes terrible jokes. Okay. Okay. Let's do this.”

“You mean it?”

“I do.”

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

“Morning, Erica,” Derek says a few weeks later when he walks into the office of _Fake Sparks_. “How are you today?”

“Absolutely great! I'll let Stiles fill you in on why.” She winks at him.

He already knows why, and can't wait to see how happy Stiles must be. “We'll do celebratory drinks sometime this week.”

“Sounds like a date,” she says, grinning. “Also, tell Laura that Boyd is _loving_ his new job. Apparently, he was born to landscape.”

Derek nods. “Laura told me he's her favourite worker. That's an accomplishment with her, especially in less than a week.”

Erica beams, her pride for her boyfriend clear. “He's much happier, so thank you.”

“Anything for you,” he promises her.

Derek nods. When he's about to pass Isaac's office, he pauses and knocks. Isaac glances up at him. “Hey man, how are you today?”

“Great. I wanted to tell you that Meredith got perfect on her history test with me yesterday.”

Isaac beams. “Seriously? That's so great. We'll have to celebrate!”

“Yes. Dinner with Chris on Friday?” Derek asks.

“Sounds great,” Isaac says. “I'll go over the details with Stiles later.”

“Perfect.” Derek moves down the hall. He waves at Allison, and she smiles when she sees him.

He knocks on Kira's door. She looks up from her laptop and waves. “Morning, Derek! How are you?”

“Great. I have a present for you, actually.” Derek pulls the sword from behind his back. “Stiles said you liked them.”

She laughs and gets up to take it from him. She runs her fingertips over the metal. “Wow, it's legit.”

“I wanted to say thank you for not ratting Stiles and I out.” Derek gives her a worried look. “I heard Malia was upset with you.”

“She was, but we're fine now. Stiles talked to her, and explained that there would be positive changes. Besides, I'm out of the escorting business now anyway.”

“Happy to hear it,” Derek says. “I hope you enjoy your weapon.”

“Thank you. I'll have to get a display holder. It'll stay in my office. This is seriously cool, Derek.”

He wraps an arm around her and pulls her in for a half-hug. “Anytime, Kira.”

Then Derek pokes his nose into Stiles' office.

“I don't care. You don't touch my girls,” Stiles is saying to someone on the phone. “It's an additional two thousand for touching without permission, _and_ she's pressing charges. Read the fine print, douche.”

Derek laughs and Stiles looks up. He grins and says, “Whatever, dude. The cops will be arriving in a few minutes, and trust me, you don't want to run.”

He hangs up.

“Hey,” Derek greets. “I thought I'd bring you lunch.”

“Aren't you the cutest?” Stiles asks, standing up. He wraps his arms around Derek's neck. “I've been talking with the crew. They're on board for _Real Sparks._ ”

“Going from escorting to matchmaking is going to be a drastic change,” Derek murmurs. He kisses Stiles and then adds, “But you're going to be so successful at it.”

“Damn straight.” Stiles laughs. “Erica and Kira are the most excited. Danny likes the challenge. Allison and Lydia are already working on figuring out how to build a matching-program from scratch.”

“I'm so happy they like it,” Derek says. “I knew they would.”

“You have to say that. You're my betrothed.”

Derek reaches for Stiles' hand, and runs a hand over his engagement band. He nods. “Yeah, but it doesn't make it less true. How did Isaac react?”

“He's excited because it means that he'll have a job with a better image to present to the judges for full custody of Meredith next fall.” Stiles grins. “Happy endings all around.”

“Happy _beginnings_ ,” Derek corrects. “Laura's going to be our first client. I owe her the best Christmas present since she got me you.”

Listening to Laura hadn't been such a bad idea after all. “And you were worried that it was a dumb mistake.”

Derek laughs. “My family will never have to know because it was real for me the entire time.”

Stiles kisses him again.

 

♚♞♚♞♚♞

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing a lot of ficlets lately, and I haven't been posting them all on ao3, so feel free to check out [this tag](http://www.foxerica.tumblr.com/tagged/fox%20erica%20writes) if you want to read some ridiculous Teen Wolf fluff.
> 
> This is a thank you fic for Kimmy, who donated money to my GoFundMe page because both of my laptops died completely. I had a lot of surprise expenses around that time, and I seriously appreciate everyone who donated. It helped me out immensely! 
> 
> I would like to take this moment to thank (again) [Yomara](http://www.ymalcal.tumblr.com), [Isabel](http://www.silverdancer.tumblr.com), and [Izi](http://www.argentswolfsbane.tumblr.com) for teaming up and helping me. Yomara set up the GoFundMe page for me, Isabel offered to write anyone who donated a fic as well, and Izi offered to draw things for people who donate and request so.
> 
> Some of you have teamed up and donated to me, and have raised $335 via GoFundMe and PayPal. How fucking incredible is that? I'm still completely overwhelmed at your love, and I need to express how much I love you. I want to wrap you all up in a blanket, watch shitty movies with you, and talk until the sun rises.
> 
> I got my laptop a few weeks ago (god, has it been a month already?) and I love it so much! And that's all thanks to you lovely people!
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> When I can afford to do so, I promise that I will match whatever you donate to me for my laptop expense and I will pay it forward to a charity that deals directly with the LGBTQA community. That's my promise to you, because a) I feel way too guilty taking anyone's money to begin with but it's been seriously helpful so that I can have my sanity and write for you guys and b) it's the right thing to do.
> 
> So for everyone who has donated so far, I love you more than you will ever know. But also: now you will know that your money (eventually) will be forwarded to help people in the LGBTQA community and it's not just going to some girl for her laptop because that's so #firstworldproblem. And I don't want anyone to think that I'm not seriously grateful to you all for helping me and supporting me. You are incredible people.
> 
> I love you and I still cannot believe how amazing this experience with writing fanfiction has been. I'm constantly overwhelmed with love and support and if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, please don't hesitate. If any of you have any art projects or something like that going on and you need support, please let me know. I would love to support you in any way possible.
> 
> Here's another ridiculously long author note. But thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
> 
>  
> 
> **Check out[this tag on my tumblr](http://www.foxerica.tumblr.com/tagged/fox%20erica%20gofundme) for any updates regarding those who have donated (i.e. the list of who's getting a fic, when, and what length/etc they will be receiving) if you haven't already. IF YOUR INFORMATION IS STILL MISSING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY. **
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> If you're new to me and my writing, hi, I love you anyway! You probably think I'm crazy. Feel free to check out me[ on tumblr.](http://www.foxerica.tumblr.com)


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